Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1877-08-15
A REMEDY FOR STRIKES.

The n. Y. Herald in an article on this sub
iect says "Sensihle men see that everything
cannot be done by main strength and stupid
ness. And after all what the railroad mana
gers absolutely need is not only service but
the good will which alone yields Jealous and
faithful service. Absolute fidelity to trust,
even in the humblest man on the road, is OF
extreme importance to railroad company. y
As remedy for strikes and means OF secur-
ing this jealous and faithful service it advo-
Gates the establishment by railroad managers
of system of life insurance for all their en-
ployes, together with pension system,
whereby fixed number Of years OF faithful
service will entitle a workman to retiring
pension. It also advocates the encouragement
by railroad directors, of the formation by
their people of cooperative societies for the
purchase of food and other supplies. How
much better it would be for both employers
and employees if there were less distrust in
the honesty of each other. If each would
place in the other some confidence in his in
tegrity. But just the converse is the state Of
feeling which exists at present Railroad
managers assume that most Of their men are
thieves, and when one occupies position Of
trust, his actions are constantly watched by
spies and detectives in order to prevent and
discover any populations On his part. It is
extremely humiliating to an honest man to
know that he is suspected of dishonesty.
And under the constant surveillance he soon
loses his own self-resFsct and comes to think
that the humiliation Of guilt can be no worse
tor of street car has no trouble in satisfying
his conscience that it is perfectly legitimate
20 appropriate to his own use every fare which
is not recorded by his tale-bearlng punch.
And SO it is with most men occupying posi-
tons of trust when they find that faithful
and honest performance OF their duty is re-
warded with suspicion, that no reliance is
placed upon their honor as men, and no
the veriest scoundrel, they soon grow
careless Of their trust if not absolutely dis
honest. They feel little or no interest in the
success Of their employer and go along from
day to day performing automatic-like their
daily routine caring for nothing else than the
prompt and regular payment Of their ser
vices. The plan of the Herald is doubtless
good one, but it seems to US that if a differ
ence in the remuneration were made between
he services OF honest and efficient employees
and those who are dishonest and inefficient, |
hat soon enough reliable men would be Sc |
cured to avoid the necessity of employing |
pies and detectives, and that more faithful |
md Jealous service would thus be obtained. |
There would then be no occasion for strikes,
nd trades unions controlled by designing |
nd INSCRIPTIONS men could have no force. |
The true policy Of railroad managers and all
theirs who largely employ che labor of work
ng men is to gain their good will instead of
heir hate, to make them feel an interest in
he success of the work in which they are
ngaged. But capital seeks its interest in
2w wages, while labor naturally seeks its in
crest in higher wages, and thus the laborer
forced by the grasping disposition of en-
loyers to protect himself by means of these
rotective trades unions, and these are per-
.ctly legitimate SO long as this distrust of
leir honesty exists.