The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-07-23

The end will be that the trains will
move as usual, and that the striking fire.
men will loose their places. Without dis
cussing the question of reduction of wages,
which I've admit seems hard, ard In this
instance might have been avoided, we may
say that one fact in all cases of this kind
is patent. The strikers who attempt to
control or destroy Ithe property of others
in an effort to carry point always fail to
attain the object aimed at. Leaving all
other points out of the question, it does
seem that in due time this one point would
be made clear to their understandings-a
strike that includes defiance of law al
ways fails to accomplish its purpose A
man who will not work for wages offered
may protest, but he cannot hold pistol
at his employers head and say, PAY me
what l demand, or | will shoot" The
striking fremen said substantially, PAY
US what we ask, or we will stop every
freight train on the road, and will iniure
your business and the business of all
others whose goods you are Transporting.
They not only declined to work them
selves, but would not permit the engineers
and conductors to do their duty. Such
COuuuIb Cdu ubNCI CACll6 III tule
country, and as it invariably results to the
disadvantage of those who indulge in it,
common sense and self interest mark out 8
different course.
chicago Times.
The current history of the great railroad
strike will be found in detail in the dis
patches of special correspondents of thu
Times from the various points Of disturb
ances. From reading of this history il
will be found that the strike amounts to {
conspiracy whose design is to compel the
total stoppage of freight business on the
roads involved, and that the conspirator:
count violence to persons as well as the in
jury and destruction of property among
the means whereby their purpose is to be
accomplished. One of the rioters at Pitts
burgh, who may be taken as fair repre-
sentative of the rest, declared that ht
could not see why the military had beer
called out. The men had done no act o.
violence. he said, nor did they intend any
But when asked if they would allow the
trains to go through, the question was
answered with an emphatic mo-" II
was admitted that the trains might be ruU
to the city limits under military protection
but God help the men on the trains after
passing that point" The commander O
the troops was violently denounced, anC
the strikers threatened to shoot him if hi
attempted, as he had promised, to take
charge of the first train himself These
incidents are taken at random from The
mass of the reports, and sufficiently illus
trate the spirit which animates the mel
engaged in the strike. They refuse to see
anything in the nature of violence in the
forcible obstruction of great commercial
thoroughfare, the ruinous detention of vas
quantities of merchandise, and the abus
and intimidation of men who are willin
to work. 1t is evident that the moral per
ceptions Of these people need improYin
| DEVELOPMENT. And the strikers need t
be informed, and to have the informatio
vigorously impressed upon them, tina
whenever and wherever employers attemr
what appears to be an unreasonable re
duction of wages, the employees provok
the attempt by overstocking the marke
for that particular species of labor. 5
long as men crowd themselves into til
service Of railroad companies, there wi
be tendency to reduction of wages Of
railroads. When labor is scarce, wage
will be high The fact that labor of tn
kind required on railroads is in excess o
the demand, and is continually offering a
any price the companies choose to pay. eX
plains the whole difficulty, and suggests Q
entirely rational and lawful remedy.