New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-08-27

The news from the Pennsylvania coal regions
is bad For more than month most oil the
miners have been standing out sullenly against
their employers, threatening violence ana now
and then breaking into murderOus outrage when
the vigilance of the military guard chancedto he
relaxed. Now they have begun what seems
to be an organized attack upon their comrades
who wisheG~to go TO work. The union
strikers march about at night, masked and
armed. and dragging the men from their
beds force them, with pistols at their temples,
TO swear obedience to the commands of the
brotherhood. 1t is hard thing for the IN
dustrious workman with a hungry wife and
family; but he breads the union more than
starvation, and he darcs not resist.
The tyranny of an orthodox trades union,
when engaged in well-deyeloped strike, Is
pretty impartially distributed over all persons
and interests which come within the range OF
its influence; but, after all the great mass OF the
trades-umonsts themselves are the most hope
lessly cushed, and merit the most abundant
svmDatby. 1t is natural and inevitable that
men shonld be controlled by the prevailing SELL
timent of the class to which they belong, and
these unions tend to compact and sodify the
tiona enmties which are always enter
tanned in some degree against employers
by the employed Inevitably, too, the most
restless and designing gravtate INTO the COM
manding positions i'll these organizations, and
direct the action of the society in accordance
with maxims and theories even more fanatical
than the class opinion which they have helped
to arouse and intensity. 1t is the universal
testimony of close ObseTvers-and the recent
troubles corroborate this impression-that gen
orally four strikers out of every five would
disapprove the action of the unions if they
were left to an unbiased choice. But the
fifth man is the prompt and fOrcible talker who
appeals to the manhood of his impTesSble com
rades TO stand united against the aggressions
of the money power. 1t looks like cOwardice
TO draw back. The new standard of duty
which is set up IN this time of revival has
all the binding force OF moral code upon a
ouickened conscience. 1t seems base to rcpu-
date plain principle and so the majority are
swept along with the current against their
will and reason; and yet not against them, for
in the swelling excitement and from magnetic
contact with each other, there comes a burning
sense of wrong, the quick decision to oppose
it, and the CLEAN of u new hope. Then fol-
lows. as it invariably must, the foredoOmcd
failure. "Ihe bubble floats before, the spectre
stalks behind" Tempter and tempted have
made a common shipwreck Of their hopes.
There is nothing for them but lOss-loss of
time, loss of hard-earned savings, loss of SYM
patty and loss OF respect
Now 1t is not easy to find a practical way
n, - /
laboring men, with their strength of passion
and deficiency of mental training, are almost
helplessly borne. SO long "a capital combines
for sclf-protcction, labor will combine; and the
very organizing and controlling principle OF
combinations which are purely defensive in
sures the periodical recurrence of these deliri-
Gus outbreaks. 1t is well enough to assume
that universal education would work a per-
manent cure SO would the universal adop-
ton of the Golden Rule; but several genera
tions will probably elapse before everybody is
virtuous and well versed in political economy
One thing is certain. The labOrer cannot be
left to himself TO work ost his social saliva
ton; trades-unionsm has demonstrated this,
if nothing more. He must have not only
sympathy but active and well-directed
assistance from the broader experience
and cultivation of the employing class. If
some substitute for trades unions, which fur
nishes the opportunity for social pleasure prac-
teal beuevolence, or even mental culture, and
whatever other good features these organiza-
tons can claim, il ever devised, it must be
devised by employers. If courts of arbitra-
ton are to be established. it rests with en-
ployers to see to it that such courts are con-
stituted in way which will satisfy the labOrer,