The New York herald., 1877-09-15
Striking Crime, But Capital Is
Tyrannous.
Incapacity and ReeklesSneS in Railroad
Management.
Conference and Arbitration the Remedies
for Both SIDES.

noted
In the lrst place. the Law is TO be obeyed and en-
forced any aud at any cost There are wrongs
which demand and justify revolution. This is not
case OF that Kind and IN presen CIRCUMSTANCES every
resort 10 violence is crime
No man has right to prevent any other man from
working when where and Tor what wages he sees ct.
No has right to destroy public or private prop
erty derapge business by sudden refusal TO work
or plot effect such arrangement All these
grave against the public welfare. aud do only
harm. They are to be prevented or punished at all
hazards.
wnie this is said to labor capital is bound to re-
member that labor has been heavily unnecessarily
burdened by the reckessness than childish
quarrcls, incapacty ana mismanagement of capital
and capital has right complain or be surprised
that labor is impatient or disconontcd under thess
heavy ana unnecessary burdens
In America boast of the practical aud executive
ability Of our business So lar AZ mines, fac
tories and railways are concerned the nation has
produced ability integrity enough TO manage
these large moEeyed interests. la regard
railways the SO called managers OF them, Judged
by results. have shown themselves a set OF in.
capables Trusted with interests, heralded
world as men Of marvellous ability ana with all the
means OF success in their hands onehalt OF them has
iaaded the stockholders in bankruptcy and the other
half has helped to punder them to enormous
lent Express companies and Pullman csr companies
And other cliQues, made up from the so-called
ayers OF the roads have been allowed to take the
cream Of the business and eat up the earnings OF the
road This fraud or incapacity has essened the fund
out OF which the ordinary employees Of the roads were
TO be PAID Hence OF distress labor.
Enormous salaries have been pad-.rom $4,000
$50 00o-to the nighor class Of officers, and IN
Eases large dividends have been declared, while the
ground tier OF employees have had their
wages reduced to starvation point Twenty
i've cents day is q great loss to them,
sho by such reduction the company does
rs much perhaps, it would by dispensing with two
comparatively useless vice presidents Who wonders
that labor frets under such unfair and unequal
tangemeniss Reckessness in running into debt has
added another burden to labor by mortgaging the
inpd out OF which its wages were to come
These debts were incurred on the Micawber princ
pie, that "something would turn up;'' that large
sudden ncrease of business would lit the load.
There is reasonable expectation probability of
any such increase OF business during tho twenty
years. Hence very few of the railways Will
able 10 pay their debts If managed as they
Legislatures have almost unlimited authority over
the corporations which they have created If honest
dealing and he protection OF property be objects
sought Tor 10y legislation then every railway and every
similar money corporation which is in debt should be
Obliged by law lay by least per cent oil It's net
earnings as sinking fund to pay It's debt. In no
other way will the present gen GRAFTON the
see these Immense railway debts paid
Labor and capital the tools civilization needs and
uses. Both 10 be projected. Eul labor, as It is
human life, has the lrst claim ont CT the gross
earnings Of any business The first expense be con-
sdered and met Is wages. Such wages as men
can comfortably live first 10 lie
rad then safety fund is TO be provided for burden
some debts, in order that capital may be secured
sganst risk or loss; what Is lett may be divided rs
dividend or profits TO stockholders. Appropriate leg.
islaon should secure such arrangements for pro-
tection OF labor aud capital We demand legislation
because experience has shown that called business
men are either too blind wicked to provide
protection. II such rule of apportioning wages and
dividends should result n these last being so small
that some capital wcuid be Withdrawn from ihe bust
ness II would leave the business healthier, and less
competition would soon give TO Tue remaining capital
employed larger returns.
But the main consideration is still another point.
What constitutes "sucn wages lortably
live ons' Who shall settle and define tho amount of
hese? This is the ground Of the present quarrel and
peace will never come till this settled The om-
ployed have something 10 sell. it is labor. Men who
have COAL metal TO sell do not let the buyer
hx the price The price settled after mutual confer
ence. The employed claim the same right OF settling
the price OF what they have sell that is abor) in
tae same way thai is, by mutual conference.
Corporations that employ large number OF work.
men should. from time to time, appoint committee
TO meet committee Of workmen Before such Joint
committee should be laid open all tine details
Of the business The price OF material loss Of in.
terest in process OF manufacture interest on dead
capital repairs TO Keep the stock good &C. and
Tho price at which the goods finally sold and in
what quantity; all the facts necessary to make up an
opinion as to what rate of wages the company can
afford to pay-o only such facts Alter mutual
consultation such committee should decide the amount
'i wages to be paid II they cannot agree umpire
should be chosen make he inal decision. Such
method has been occasionally rcsortcd TO in New
England and with good results But secure
tent and harmony this should be the regular estab.
hsned and recognized method. Such course has
been followed in England in a very large numbe OF its
manufactures, and wherever II has been adopted
f'rkes have been for twenty years unknown. Thomas
Hughes, wen known in literature has been frequently
chosen as an umpire Christianity dictates sound
political economy indorsss such procedure. How
broad and sound must be, in years, the education
gained by workinemcn acting on such committees aud
brought TO tho close practical consideration OF such
lnrge interests acting too under such grave resppns
btes! The effect has been very marked in Eng
land Mr. Mundella member of the House OF Com.
mons, assured mo he had known instances where the
workmen on such committees proposed even a
greater reduction o. wages thaa tnat named
by The employers; declaring. as tho result of
their examination, that tho corporation could not
safely pay Us large wages it offered This shows
how acting under grave responsibility educates men,
both morally and intellectually. Weak aud en,bsr
rassed companies would be Obliged to make such
sn exnibit OF their affairs Halt dozen firms or cor
porations doing would fix the rate. The rest would
follow. and those companies unable to pay II must
show cause why they DO not or 20 10 the wal. And
such result would DC no harm 10 sound business
concerns
We have more than enough Of the babble and chan
Of supply and demand" That IS a political economy
iorgcts God aboishes hearts stomachs and hot
blood aud builds its world children do out of tin
soldiers and blocks OF wood Here every man reads