The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-08-10
cOMMUNE, OR KING 2

COMMUNE, OR KINGF
The great labor strikes, so-called, of
the North have practically ended, and,
in smoke, like the burning depots, cars
and bridges destroyed by the unthink-
ing originators and participants in the
trouble. Here and there, railroad
has submitted to the demands of the
operatives, and a factory or foundry In
this or that region has agreed toadvance
wages; but the great enemy of the
strikers, as they believed, that is, the
capitalists, have held their position,
and the interests of property and peace
have triumphed. The railroads and
factories are once more in operation,
and a sense of relief spreads over all
except the discounted sons OftOil who
In error struck for better wages and
better times when all kinds of business,
and even the Governments itself, were
engaged in struggle against bank
ruptcy. The greedy corporations have
been seriously damaged, 1t is true, but
SO have the interests of commerce, and
SO have the pork-packer, the wheat
grower and the merchant, but worst Of
all the infatuated striker who believed
that Government was powerless to sup
press anarchy and that the great bulk
Of the people was not opposed to vio-
lence, bloolshed, incendiarisn and bus
oh Nh<a int off he afr3p Trasr
may have been to revolt against a
reduction of wages, but how Insignia
cant, as an element of physical force,
are the railroad employees, or even the
railroads, compared with the mass OF
people who want security for life and
property and require highways for
trade and travel. Let one railroad, or
II hundred be demolished, is there pow
er resting anywhere to prevent their
reconstruction Who would recon.
struct them Certainly none of those
who made the reconstruction q necess-
ity. Capital and corporations have
great battles to fight, and the struggle
is constant one in legislative bodies
to keep both within legitimate bounds,
the same, as on the other hand, laws
after laws are enacted to protect labor
and Industry. There is u superior
power in money, as all governments
know and as all feel when the life OF
the government is at stake. The power
of the laborer. or poor man, is the pow
er of the ballot, not of clubs, brick bats
and flaming torches, because society
will not, can not, tolerate such excuses
And thus we find in the recent up
heavals, that, while at first the strikers
had the popular sympathy, they, by
resorting to lawless acts, aroused every
mans sense of danger-begot feeling
of insecurity tor life and property-and
their defeat at last has given relief all
over the country. Not that they did
not have wrongs to complain of, but
that the bullets aimed at the enemy
few in every direction and wounded
friend aud foe alike. ...H.... :'n .
And such is the present aspect Of the
strike, but what is to be the result
Will labor command higher wages?
Will bread, meat and house rent be
cheaper? Will it be easier for the
Woodworking mechanic to earn his
daily bread, when millions of dollars
of values have gone up in smoke?
The bridge that carried him over safely,
where is it? Both the railroads and
the country are worse off than before,
and the ability to pay by that much
reduced. The railroad corporations are
crippled, and the stock market is sem
si6ly shaken. Foreign dealers in rail-
way shares are not half SO confident in
American stocks, and State securities
are inactive. The only securities no'O
firm ore the bonds Of tie United States
We contemplate this feature .ot the
tsstrike'' with sorrow. We have been
taught and have held that there is
power in the States, whom acting under
local self-government, to maintain
peace and order within their respec-
tive limits; but the force of the recent
turbulent demonstrations seems to