The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-25

with which England supplies the world thus
entailing loss upon the country and sacrificing
the advantages she is entitled to derive from
her resources and products
This is the position of affairs ct the present
moment in the city of London, and we be-
lieve that the situation may be studied with adj
vantage by our own workmen and capitalists.
The American mechanic or laborer, should
not overlook the fact that he is far better off in
every respect than the wordngman of Europe ;
that he is better paid, better fed, better
clothed and better appreciated; that he is a
free man and the equal of the millionaire if
SOBER honest, industrious and upright in his
dealings instead of being mere overworked,
underpaid, despised drudge The American
workman has character and standing in
the world, with intelligence to back him, and
he should refuse to be put upon the same level
with the irresponsible Communist or the
uneducated European laborer We have re-
GREETED to find that the enterprising and usu-
ally outspoken journals Of the metropolis have
almost entirely ignored the subject of these
labor strikes in their editorial columns, and
have hesitated to give that advice both to en-
ployers and workmen which is so much needed
at an excited moment like the present We
have felt it to be our duty to offer such counsel
as we have deemed the crisis demanded, both
to capital and labor, and we now tell the
American working classes that they must re-
spect themselves if they desire to sue
coed in the work they have before
them, or to accomplish any result by
which they can better their condition.
AS we have said, they are the superiors of the
great body of English laborers. and hence they
should spurn from their societies the Mackays
and Blissarts, who would degrade them from
savage revolutionists. Let them study the con-
dition of the London laborers as shown in our
report, and they will probably be disposed
to better appreciate the advantages they them
selves possess. Especially they will refrain
from allowing themselves to be led into ex-
cesses by foreign advisers, and will not misin-
terpret the favorable words OF those who
believe some of their demands to be reasonable
into an approval Of any rash or lawless acts.
In like manner we call the attention Of
men of capital and employers to the
story of the London lockout, the experience Of
the old master builder, and the sensible COM
ments of the London Times. If they read the
lesson Alright they will not let their feel
ings overpower their judgment and good
sense, and by coercive policy give oppor-
fr11,tf 10 v,>ic s<oko
late their agrarian doctrines and incite
an irritable mass Of strong men to acts of
indiscretion and probably of violence The
lockout in London, they are told, will SO en-
nance the price Of coal and iron and Of all the
products which form the bulk of the English
trade, that the men of capital will in the end be
the parties to feel the injury to the greatest
extent It is O certain fact that these great
labor strikes, which throw hundreds of thou
sands out of employment and paralyze indus
trial pursuits, however much they may be
temporarily supported by contributions
from societies, must in the end make
the country poor, and compel the
wealthy, in some shape or another,
to bear the increased burden. Starving
families must be supported, and those who
have means must be taxed to support them. If
riots occur damages must be paid, and the
loss falls at last on the rich man and
On the steady workman who returns to
labor and struggles on for living. Capt.
talists and honest men with families, who
IRE always ready and willing to work, are those
c,,ffor FROM, tboca d;ctu rhopoao r,b;la %I,a
reckless spirits who do the most to initiate
them escape the penalties they impose upon
the community.
There is one gratifying piece Of intelli-
gence in regard to the New York
strikes. 1t is reported that the Com
zens' Association have come forward in an
attempt to settle the differences between the
employers and the workmen by a convention
and friendly arbitration. The men, it is
said, have agreed to the proposition,
and the employers certainly should
not hold out or offer any obstruction
to such mode of settlement. The present
condition of affairs cannot be expected to con-
tlnue without breeding incalculable mischief.
We do not anticipate violence. Wesare con-
fdent that our laboring men have too much
good sense and self-respect to attempt
the accomplishment of their objects by
other than lawful and peaceable means.
But every day taken from the active industry
Of the city impoverishes some person, and
idleness breeds vice in the bad portion of the
working classes. A lockout, says the Eng
lish master, is dangerous experiment;
and SO is every act that tends to separate
the interests Of the employer and the
laborer and to shake their confidence
in one another Let the men be peaceful and
moderate-the capitalists reasonable and even
liberal, and the efforts now being made to
effect a settlement of their differences cannot
fail to be successful. Before another week
passes over the city we hope that the
u Il xr 1oL L.