The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-08-03
The Lesson of she strike

OIS pOo1lDAc III b1lS lIcc anu pIcSuu1a-
bly, happy and prosperous country.
The first lesson of the strike, or rath-
er OF the riots, is that mob law cannot
be any more successful, under q repub-
lican than under q mOnarchiaI govern
eminent. In this country, like most
others, the bulk of the population, in
tiuence, authority and power, Is per-
manently on the side OF law and order
as expressed through the regularly
constituted authorities, and rioting,
however formidable or temporarily
successful, Is certain to be suppressed
In short time, no matter If the last
riOter dies like hero In the last ditch,
and Is buried at the expense of the i'm
poverished public treasury of de-
vastated country. The people of
this country are just as certain to
crush out riOtous demonstrations, as
soon as they become evidently danger
Gus to general property and business,
as they are TO suppress an Indian
raid IL it became so extensive as to ne
cessitate general rising against it.
Mob law, rloting, armed resistance to
the constituted authorities, cannot pos
sibly achieve any permanent success
in any part of the United States. This
Is a lesson which the most rabid NAL
content probably now begins to COM
prehend, and 1t is to be hoped, will re-
member.
The next lesson of the strike is, on
the other hand, that there are enough
people in this country who will strike,
and others who will riot, to defy law
and resist authority until great dam
age is inflicted upon all interests, when
ever in their minds they are being OPP
pressed by the laws to an extent which
prevents their labor from securing to
themselves and families a reasonable
amount of what they regard as the ne
cessities of life. No matter how fool
ish and Improbable the illegal reme-
dies they resort to are, they will be ig-
norant and obstinate enough to resort
to them when they cannot by labor OBJ
tain the necessities they believe they
are equitably entitled to, and it is
therefore unwise public policy to bring
about a condition of public affairs
which makes employment as scarce
and wages as low as has been the case
for the last few years. Such a condi-
ton of affairs will result In strikes and
riots, and the end Is serious damage to
the people who put down the riots, as
well as to the rioters whom they put
down. 1t is just as foolish and just as
Improbable for the bulk of the people
to permit the financial condition Of
the country to reach and remaiR in
that state which Is certain to result in
riots and tumults, and virtual civil
war, as 1t Is for portion of them to
carry on the riots and tumults. The
second lesson of the strike is, there
fore, that 1t is the duty and the neccs-
sity of the law-abiding and property
owning citizens to investigate the f.
nancial condition Of the country, and
remedy by wise legislation the evils
which the startling occurrences of the
past week reveal.
Such, 1t seems to US, are the great
lessons of the strike. 1t has revealed
public discomfort, public suffering, and
almost public despair OF any but
the most violent remedies, which
should cause all thoughtful and patrl-
otto citizens to give our financial pol
icy far more consideration than most
of them have hitherto done, or proba-
bly, ever would do until their atten-
tlon was called to it as Ii by an alarm
OF fire In the night. Whether the finan-
cial policy now being pursued is right
or wrong, Is productive of general
prosperity or general adVersity, Is q
question which the bulk of the people
have until now refused to give any
special attention to. Nine men out of
ten tell the truth when they say they
don't know anything about public A.
nances, and never tried to learn any
thing about them. Nine newspapers
out Of ten would tell the truth If they
confessed to never having given their
readers any Information on this sub
ject. The ignorance in regard to the
financial question is as profound
among the non-strIkers, the law-abi-
ding, and the law-enforcing part of
the community, as among the riot
ers. All parties, all sides, all citizens,
need, for their own good and for the
general good, to investigate this i'm
portant subject, to study it, to discuss
1t, to arrive at an Intelligent and con-
siderate conclusion IN regard to It. II
the resumption Of specie payment Is
practicable, right, and advisable I'm
der all the circumstances, It ought to
be stead1astly persisted In. II the
greenback legal tender system Is real
ly the best for this country, under all
the circumstances of the case, IL oush,
to be adopted. 1t does make a differ.
ence, q vast difference, TO millions OF
our people, to the prosperity of our
our country and the perpetuation Of
republican Institutions, which of these
two radically different financial sys,
TENS we adhere to. Strikes that EN-.
barrass business everywhere, riots thai
call forth the entire military power
of the nation 70 suppress, are IndIca-
tiOns Of q possible volcano of dIscon-
tent beneath the surface We all stand
upon. II this be the case, It Is ths
heighth of imprudence for men and
for parties to longer refuse to investi.
gate the financial troubles of the conn
try, and to neglect to apply the proper
remedies through the only effective
medium, the ballot box.