Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-08-01
(Commuuicsted.)
The strike.

A The Strike.
Strikers, Rioters, Communists, Red
Republicans and such like names are
used to designate the thousands of men
who have been for a fortnight demon
strating against the tyranny of incor.
porated capital; but Notwithstanding
the reproach which these names seem
to imply, the magnitude of the demon
stration peremptorily demands inquiry
into the causes Of this apparently
spontaneous revulsion of labor, and
what the remedy for the wrongs, real
or imaginary, which have brought about
this conflict. That there is some cause
for the outbreak, it were silly to deny.
Men are the same under similar CIR
cumstances and surroundings, and the
laboring classes North and West would
no more plunge themselves into a
crater than we Or our neighbors. Yet
we see that thousands of them almost
simultaneously threw down their inn
plements of labor and virtually took up
arms against their employers. Men do
not do such things from mere impulse
or caprice. What, then, was the in
ducement to this outbreak and the pur-
pose of the destruction Of property to
the amount of millions? Rational men
will make this inquiry and variably an
swer it from the dictates Of variable
judgments, viewing the situation from
widely diverging standpoints, and few,
fanny, wholly Invested of all stereotyped
notions and abstract theories concern
ing the most vital questions whose solu-
ton is involved. Fools and knaves
will be content with denunclation and
abuse. ..-. ....
| Recurring to the beginning of the
movement to search for the cause, we
find that it is bread. Said the fireman !;
''our wages are reduced, first SO cents
day, then 10 per cent again, and
again, and finally we are paid for but
half time, which is insufficient to meet
our board at each end of the route we
must run, and when we get home, our
families are in rags without food"
These curtails Of wages and time are
not denied by anybody; the balance Of
the statement follows as a matter of
course. So true was it all known to be
that citizens everywhere sympathized
and soldiers dlsbanded their organiza-
ton on the very field, except the gov
eminent stipendiaries and, perhaps, the
dastardly hussars who rushed to their
arms only few months ago, at the call
Of Pennsylvania adjutant, to resist
Virginia. intended raid upon the fed
eral capitol to capture the presidency,
and whose manhood aggregated was
illustrated by suffering death in the
flames of round house or currishly
sneaking back to Philadelphia in petty
coats rather than trust their bullets and
bayonets against the brick-bats Of the
s'mob." All reading, observing men
are bound to accept that want of food
was the immediate cause Of the riot,
strike, communlstic or red republican
outbreak, or whatever else it may be
called. So far as the B. s. O. r. r. is
concerned, Mr.. Garrett substantially
admitted the facts when he published
his inexcusable ignorance Of the so
cents day curtail. ...
1 But let the cause Of the strike fbe
what il may, as strong and sufficient
soever as it can be put, can there be
justification for anything beyond the
mere strike? Is not. man to be
allowed to hire W hom he pleases and
pay what he pleases, and is not a man
at liberty to work or not as he pleases?
Is man to burn my house i'll refuse
his terms and conditions of labor
These inquiries are no more pertinent
to the consideration of this subject than
are the stunning heterogeneous of the
Universalist in discussing his equal
rights IN the Atonement, nor are they
less false IN analogy than all the other
attempts to run parallels between
persons and governments. Some men
in these parts can see nothing but the
B. & O.. R. r. i'm this strike, while
others in other sections see nothing but
the lines over which they are accustom-
ed to ride and ship their truck and
stock. Railroad property being the
victim, they can see nothing but rail-
road strike. In our humble conception
it goes far beyond this. This country
of ours,-this government,-h been
preparing for a CONFUSION from the day
at which currency contraction eommenc-
ed, and, as is always the case, the large
mass of employees Of incorporated
capital were the first to feel the grip of
the holder Of federal stocks at his throat
and hear the tread of his customs
officer as he walked off with 1.-THE of
his famlly's slender .sustenance. The
railroad employee looked to his imme-
date employer when grim want entered
his househould, and said to him:
''Until 1873 1 labored faithfully for a
subsistence for myself and family.
"Your lines prospered and you amass-
"ed millions Of wealth, Since 1873 you
''have Systematically curtailed my pay
''until now am unable to support my
Independents, without any reason that
81 can discover. You run the same
s'number of loaded trains over the same
"miles Of road and annually declare
ssthe same dividends on stocks watered
ssto represent two or three times the
money cost to your shareholders,
shave waited on you until'.your millions
'sare amassed, under the delusion that
ts'while faithful to you 1 would never