The Portland daily press., 1877-02-17
The Strike.


been made that the Press has not adhered
to its accustomed impartiality, but has allow
ed its news columns to be committed to one
side or the other in the conflict between the
engineers and the company. These COM
plants have come from both Sides The ad-
herents to the cause of the engineers have al
legged that justice was not done them and
that innuendos calculated to disparage their
case in the opinion OF the public were allowed
to creep IN, while on the other hand the
friends ofthe company have made similar com
plants on its behalf. Strong partisans are not
likely to be the best judges of impartiaty.
They are prone to think that nothing is i'm
partial unless it favors their side. A news
paper must derive its information from vari-
Gus sources. 1t would be manifestly the
height Of partisanship in controversy be.
tween two parties for a journal to publish the
statements of the one and exclude those of the
other. The only fair and honorable course is
to publish the statements of both, which the
PRESS has done. They may be colored, and
doubtless are, by prejudice, but the prejudice
is that of their authors and not OF the journal
which simply conveys them to the public.
As regards the present controversy, the
PRESS has been simply vehicle of informa-
tion and impartial meu will not for a moment
contend that it is responsible for the nature
of the freight it conveyed. But the PRESS
wants no stronger proof of its impartiality
than is supplied by the fact that strong per-
sonal feeling on each side has complained
that it was partial to the other.
Iu regard to strikes the PRESS has but one
opinion, AMI that was clearly expressed in its
comment upon the recent troubles on the
Grand Trunk railroad. 1t holds that every
combination which seeks to coerce a corpora
tion except by due course of law is unlawful and
immoral. Capital and labor have equal rights.
Capital has a perfect right to say what it will
pay for certain service and labor has the
same right to do the work for that or refuse
to do it. Nor is the will of the majority to
rule in this case. Because twelve railroad
companies pay their engineers So so per day
they have no right to combine and attempt
to compel a thirteenth to pay the same wag-
es. Neither have twelve thousand engineers
any more right to fix price for days work
and then compel every engineer to accept
that or nothing. In either case the individ-
ual is free to act as he chooses and any at
tempt to force him to do otherwise deserves
the severest apprehension. The sixty-three
engineers who recently left the Boston
Moi had npdonhfadIry
right to leave that road if they chose.
They were bound, however, to give reasona.
BILE notice, to deliver up the company's prop
erty the moment they completed their service
and not to leave their trainsat such time or in
such manner as to wfully injure the compa-
ny's property or business, or cause suffering
or Inconvenience to innocent passengers.
And they had no right to attempt to prevent
other engineers from running the trains be-
cause they were willing to do so at less
price than they themselves demanded.
When they left the road they exhausted all
their privilege and all their subsequent move.
ments to prevent the running of trains are ut
terly indefensible. The demand on Mr.. Ar
thurs part that he be recognized and con-
suited by the company was piece of imper-
tinence which the latter very properly rebuk-
ed. To recognize him would have been to vir-
tually recognize the right of any combination
of men to participate in the management of
its affairs, which no company or individual
with anv self respect could do.
But while capital has its rights it has also
its responsibilities, and until it has discharg-
ed them, it is not in condition to complain
very loudly that it has been unfairly treated
by labor. The humblest workman has right
to demand that his employer shall treat him
with courtesy and consideration, and remun-
crate him promptly and fairly for his service.
An engineer running train on the Boston &
Maine Railroad has as good right to demand
of the superintendent civil treatment as the
superintendent to ask the same of the direc-
tors. He is not hired as an object upon
which the higher officials may vent their spite
whenever they feel out of temper. IT. during
the present strike, the Boston and Maine Rail
road Company has not received so much of
public sympathy as is usual in such cases, it is
because the public feels that some of the
officials of that corporation have not per-
formed all the duties devolving upon them.
It is their misfortune to have sometimes
offered to their patrons uncourteous treat
ment, and consequently the public is ready,
perhaps too ready, to believe the stories of
indignities to their employees. A good reputa-
tion is as advantageous to corporation as to
an individual, and manly, straightforward
and courteous conduct will secure it in the
one case as readily as in the other. Had
Maine been as strongly convinced of its
value as they probably now are, the sympathy
of all right minded men would have been