The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-07-21
Saturday. July a., ls77.
Employers and Employea.

classes bitterly complain Of its insuficiency
to supply their actual wants.
The recent and now pending strikes up
on several important lines Of railway be-
tween the east and west, and others which
are threatened, bring prominently into
view the question of the relation be-
tween the employer and the employed.
The view of the case on the part Of en-
ployees is that the reduction Of wages has
been made to degree which is inadequate |
to furnish the necessaries of life, while the |
financial condition Of the employer is
such as does not necessarily require
the reduction and therefore the reduction
is unjust. On the other hand, particularly
In the case of railroads, it is asserted that
the diminution of business, the falling off
In earnings, receipts and profits has been
so great, that there was an absolute neces
sity to retrench expenses in every possible
manner, including even the reduction of the
wages Of tho humblest Of its laborers. In.
proof of this the enormous losses of the
past three years are cited as the strongest
possible evidence, The stock exchange
reveals the fact that stocks of corporations
which have been supposed to be among
the best and strongest in the country have
deprecated fully one half, and still have
downward tendency. 1t is doubtful
whether there is any other branch of bus
mess in the country which has suffered to
an equal extent with railroad interests.
Notwithstanding these facts, the action
Of employees engaged in strike, or in any
coercive method Of regulating wages to
suit their demands, implies that they con-
ceive it to be the duty of the employer to
pay such wages as employees may deem
necessary for their adequate subsistence,
though the wages they demand should be
higher than would leave the employer any
profit, and higher than he could find many
others willing to accept. 1t re-
quires no great knowledge of the
principles of business to understand
that no one can continue for any
length Of time TO pay a rate of wages
which leaves no profit The plain truth
is,that neither philanthropy nor the highest
ability can fight successfully against the
clear and unmistakabe laws of profit and
loss. The practical point is this, that the
employer does not, and cannot in any
essential degree, needlessly and artifcially
force down the wages of the employed
If the field Of employment is too limited
for the numbers who crowd into it, if labor
is so plenty that numbers in their destitu-
tion are constantly seeking employment
and prefer a seqnty livelihood to none al
all there is no power OF earth, no combi
nations, or brotherhoods, or trades-union
which can prevent wages from falling; anC
all plans and schemes of whatever klnC
for enabling labOrers to be redundent ant
yet evade the consequences of their re
dundency will certainly be abortive, be
cause they are totally at variance with tn
more potential laws of supply aud demand
Here we reach the point exactly, VIVA
is the relation Of employer and employee
that's subject to such inAexible conditions
1t is that of simple contract, of eaua
bargain, of independent arrangement be
tween the parties. A workman engage
to perform a certain kind aud amount @
labor for his employer, in consideration G
stipulated remuneration; the employe
can exact no more and no other labor tina
that agreed upon; the employed can CON
pei rigid adherence to the contract a
well as his employer can; the former ha
sold his services for the time being, and b
renders them-thc latter has purchase
these services, and he pays the purchas
money; if either has made bad bargain
it was his own act, he was free to make {
not TO make the contract; If from an
peculiar or extraneous circumstances, eIthC
party was placed under a disadvantagD
and parted with his money on the 90
hand OF his services on the other for wins
was not a full and fair equivalent, FIRE
and voluntary agreement between ii
parties knows nothing of such excel
tions-moreover the advantage whiC
was one side to-day, may be on ii
other side tomorrow. Excessive number
in the labor market to-day may comp
the laborer to sell his services for less tina
a comfortable maintenance deficient nun
bers proportionto tho field Of EN- ploymer
and the capital seeking employment ma
on the other hand compel the employs
10 obtain those services at price whic
leaves him less than a reasonable prof
these arc varying accidents, which in I
way effect, except transiently their mutui
relations.
1t is unquestionably true that this FREE
dom to contract, this mutually of relation
between employer and employed, can sc
dom exist as completely and harmonious
as we have represented the plain leg
conditions to be, for the employer general
possesses the advantage of wealth, positio
and superior commercial credit. Betwe
contracting parties thus situated
relation to each other there is almost i
variably somewhat of antagonism viii,
readily gldes into mistrust, and occasio
ally into an open and direct conflict, as
example in case of strikes, still, except
times Of great distress and hardship, 4
antagonism is always in allegiance, al
labor accepts the market wages wit
out inquiry as to whether the employ
nould without datr;r,apt 10 bic oryr