The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-04-12
TIE MANIA FOR STRIKES.
Tie Innocent People who suffer by Then
-.-some Reflections on Strikes In General.

Tie Innocent People who suffer by THEN
---,some Reflections on Strikes In General.
One of the most interesting facts in
the history Of the long period Of depres-
sion and disaster through which the
business community has been passing,
says tho New York Times, is the mum.
ber OF strikes TINT hayo taken place.
These illustrate very forcibly the ttilsat-
isiactory condition Of the relations be.
tween employers and employed. AT o
time when the interests u both classes
are, in reality, peculiarly connectcIl, nnd
when it ia not only desirable but neces-
sary for both thAt there should be the
least possible friction, the employed have
felt impelled to resort to. tho most ex-
treme OF all measures TO protect them.
selves from their share Of the general
distress. The consequence, in nearly
every case, has been that they have not
only failed in carrying out tho immedi.
ate purpose OF their coerciye measures,
but they have inflicted great injury OIL
their employers, on themselves, and oil
thousands who were involuntarily and
hOlplessly involved with them. It is
estimated that tho strike OF the Pitts.
burgh puddlers, some seventeen hum
dred in number, compelled the illeness
Of nearly twenty thousand laborers, and
produced n loss in the business Of ten
millions OF dollars. Surprising that this
estimate is anexaggeratel one--of which
we have no certain knowledge--it must
still be obvious tint tho loss TO innocent
personsmustllayo been very great, The
strike in the coal mines along tho limo
Of the Reading railroad is a case still
more remarkable. This began on the
LIST OF january. Ii is still in force. II
Inns already reduced many families to
the verge Of starvation, II must either
fail Of its immediate purpose, or 1t must
produce an advance in tho price Of coal,
that will satisfy tho operators that they
can Rflorl to comply with the terms Of
tho strikers. Iii the former case, tho
loss in wages will be very great, but will
only cover small part Of the loss nc.
tually inflicted. The strike Inns been so
strict and general, thatin many collieries
the operators hive been unable TO pro.
cure tho labor necessary to keep their
mines free from water, or TO protect
them against tho injury, which is not
only immensely expensive but very dan.
gcrous. 1t willcoSt large sumsof money,
and, III all probability, q number Of
human lives, 10 bring these mines into q
condition where general labor can DO
resumed in them ut any price.
II the strikers succeed, not only tho
difference they claim in wagcs, but the
cost Of these repairs will have to DO
borne by tho consumers. Who are tho
consumersl Directly or indirectly, they
aro laborers like the miners themselves,
Every dollar added to the price Of tho
manufacturers coal, must, in the present
condition Of business, be mostly deduct.
cd from tho wages Of labor. Demand
for manufactured goods is dull; competi.
ton is not only active but desperate.
Both these influences tend TO lower
wages, and il this Is resisted in tho coal
mines, tho difference must DO made up
elsewhere. dHow certainly this is the
case can be seen from the returns Of tho
coal trade itself. The supply sent for.
ward this year is less by more than half q
million tons (573, ,22g than it was Inst
year, which Is FILLING off Of nearly
Twelve per cont. This is an approxi-
mate indication OF the falling off in the
demand for labor in manufactures, but
TINT has been greater rather than less
than here indicated, because the severe
winter has increased tho domestic con.
sumption OF coal, and so far compensated
for the reduced consumption in manu-.
iactures.
We need not hero recite the strikes
that have taken place in other trades
during the past winter. Our readers are
sufficiently familiar with them. As o
rule they layc been failures, and tho
authors Of them have suffered severely.
We wish that we wcrc able to say that
they alone lad suffered. These strikes
show, as we have remarked, how very
crude, unsatisfactory, and costly 0re the
relations Of labor aud capital. Instead
Of cooperation there is practical war,
It may bc, and intelligent men know
TINT it is true, that labor and capital have
at bottom common interest, and that
there is common policy which those
who control both could proftbly prr-
SIZE. But on tho surface and for the
present, nothing but q continual, irrita-
ting, costly conflict seems to bo possible.
There Is, of course, tho encouraging
reflection in this case that the experience
Of all parties to the conflict tends to ulti-
mate harmony. Tho first condition Of
TINT harmony Is tint II shall be plain on
both sides TINT sclf.interest demands It,
and tho only way in which this can be
accomplished Is by experience. Dis
cussion, based on recognized facts, will
go great ways, but the chief inslrtic-
ton must come in the time.honored
school. In this light It cannot DO de-
nied that the recent strikes may prove
lessons as valuable as they have been
expensive.