The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1872-08-24
A WORD WITH EMPLOYEES.

A WORD WITH EMPLOYERS.
A few days ago we conversed with oneoi
the most influential and enterprising man
ufacturers Of the great west We found
him, As far as circumstances permitted nj
to Judge, honorable, candid, and Who'll
souled g man whose sympathies and beu
wishes were with the sons Of toll, and frvu
the earnest manner in which his sentimeht |
were expressed we have no reason TO do,b. |
the sincerity Of his feelingA Said 10
am convinced tie question Of the fuAre |
"is the amicable adjustment Of the ria
" tions between capital and labor. Dies
+" 1t not seem suicidal policy for workAg-
men, every time they have grievance,
real or supposed to redress, to strike IN
" til their demands are complied witt
" perhaps to cause their employers to bse
g thousands Of dollars thereby
= friendly notification ~ thri. 5-i---mS~
"",,I,, lass'o 49, s'-.---~,s ~ Rttentlvely,
NOllpAbAlAN al NAuoC vi
" Nne out Of ten Of our manufacturers
will listen To u request when they will
absolutely refuse a demand. They are
mot such hard-haarted wretches az they
f" are supposed To be. They will be guided
"by reason when they will laugh at a
threat Can no means be devised to
" bring employer and employe into closer
e" contact to convince both that their in
- terests are identical. Why, you cant
take upa paper without seeing anaccount
" Of strike here or there; the consequence
is factories and furnaces are stopped,
mines are idle, capitalists are losing
money, workingnen are walking the
4 streets, and manufacturing interests
threaten to 20 to the devil generally. all
- for want II a mutual understanding.
Look at the past three months strikes
here, strikes there, strikes everywhere
Why, striking seems to be the normal
~ condition Of the workinginen all over the
= country This is all wrong, and must be
{" stopped by some means, but how to stop
Z" it is the question
Words brav2ly said-du icrong-dIl
,rro,g- and We are glad to know that a
spirit Of inquiry, " how to stop it " is be
ginning To develop itself among employ
ers. The I'D aiage, where there's will
there's way viii surely be verified if
this feeling is fostered and developed. Let
it once be made manifest that employers are
willing to meet their worknen half way-tc't-
ling to listen "a their grievances, and redress
them when possible, and when they cannot,
convlnc.. them at least try to convince
them, and mutual confidence and good feel
ing will soon take the place Of strikes and
! l0ck-Outs.
We do not believe there is a national OF
I country wnIen Iiss not, UIHie ana ag61fl
deprecated resort to strikes, except as a
last alternative which has not declared its
willingness to accept arbitration as a sub
stitute, and we have yet TO learn of the
] uESl acceptance "a LlAcsc pIOpOSlblonb ny
any organized body Of manufacturers.
Let us look over the field for few mo
ments We ind dissatisfaction on every
hand-in New York and New England
in Pennsylvania and Ohio ; in Virginia and
| Illinois and moreover, we find this dis
satisfaction on the increase. We find EN-
ployers becoming more arbitrary and ex-
acting in their demands, and their EN-
ployes becoming more and more unwilling
to submit to them, the rules and regula-
tions Of our factories becoming more strin-
gent, and our trades unions assuming a
more formidable and positive character.
Now, suppose at the next meeting Of the
! Iron Manufacturers OF Stove Moulders'
Association representing two Of the most
wealthy and influential bodies Of employ
ers in the country-a resolution is passed
indOrsing and recommending the primer
pies Of arbitration, announcing q willing
ness to submit all questions in dispute to
disinterested board, and Of course we do
not refer to petty disturbances in this or
that establishment, what will be the re
suit 7 Simply that ninety-nine out of
every hundred of our mechanics will say
amen, second such endeavers and be gov
erned by such decision OF course We do
not refer to every petty squabble which oc-
ours in this OF that workshop. We refer
to the settlement Of those questions, which
periodically throw thousands of our work
men out Of employment, close our factor
les, and bring ruin alike on employer and
employe. Let our manufacturers then &C
cept Of the olive branch held out, and
peace, contentment and confidence will
take the place of suspicion, chickering's and
idleness. The end to be accomplished is