Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1877-08-04
THE PUEBLO on STRIKES.


A celebrated Cincinnati editor once re-
marked, the public was an HISS. Ifhe had
modified this statement by asserting that
part of he rnblic coulss be so set down,
the manner in which this railroad rebel
lion has been talked about would CON
vince one that the Cincinnati editor un-
tlerStood whas he was saying.
All over the country there has been a
quasi yielding to the principle that strik-
rrs have.a right TO compel their employ
ers to pay certain rates tor labor, under
pain of having their property DESTROYED
and their persons outraged. If farm
hand should burn his employers house
because the latter would not pay him
S25 instead of $40 month, the. man
would he sent off to the Penitentiar, i'm
double quick time II single empIoye
OLA railroad should misplace switch
and throw Il tram off the track because
his pay was not raised, lie would suffer
like fate, and every body would say. SER
or five hundred men combine and com
these srme offenses, the public holds It's
breath. and begins to talk of a compro-
mise or surrender.
There has been great danger during
the past week that under the clamor of
street-talkers the railways and the mar
Il
lence. and establish the precedent that
the mob could break the laws NOT only
with impunity but with profit They
forgot the danger of establishing such a
precedent, and were o5liyOus. TO every
thing but the selfish desire tor present
tranquility. @ 81
Now the labor of this country has
rights. ana no one recognizes this fact
more sq,arely than the Inter-Ocean. But
in our form of government. where all cit
liens, from the greatest 20 the least. have
an equal voice in shaping the laws, there
is no excuse for violating those laws on
the part Of any class. the men engaged
in the present strike arc powerful enough
TO shape legislation 10 their own protec-
ton and advantage, if they will anu, so
long as this is the fact, any appeal 20
physical force is unjustifiable, and ought
TO be be condemned. There is not h .lf
the excuse for such riotOus proceedings
in this country that there is in England,
nd x-at Emo nd
LABOR outbreak. There a large elass are
denied representation. Here they are
accorded every political privilege. Moth
ing so quickly arouses orr people as APP
peals based upon hunger and suffering,
and no sentiment is so liable to be abused
and mislead. When we are told that the
workman and his fanily are starving
orr sympathies go out to him, and We
are ready to espouse his cause. If this
were the truth-if it even approximated
the truth-the bursting grancries of the
West would need no violence to open
them to the hungry populace. But it is
not true. Many OF The employees of our
railways are paid poor wages, barely
sufficient to buy the neccss;.ries OF life,
but when it comes TO starving. they
themselves. if individually questioned,
would repcl tie insinuaiion. Nnere are
few men employed rolling freia ut. and
hardly to be COZ siderrd REGULARS" who
afs only paid ninety cents per day, BIT
we are informed that the average
compensation 10 laborcrs, not including
mechanics and artisans. who receive
much more. will exceed 81 90. This is
small enough, but il is still sufficient to
keep the of from the door, and some
thing beside. The rest of the railway
men receive fair wages, much more, in
deed, than many employed by private
individuals. and. except in ex-
ceptional eases, live comfortably and
and well: These exceptional cases are
those OF engineers, brakcmen, firemen.
ETC, who are compelled TO be away from
nome mulch Of the time. ard whose ex-
penses are necessarily incr, ssed. The |
c'iseS OF these men and some Oh her need |
10 De looked into by the railway ;eulhor-
itles:to the end that corrections NAV be
made where justice seems to warrant It. |
But all these things can be corrected
must be corrected-wi,hout resort 10
violence and it is time public recognize
cd this Et cessify, and ceased to encour-
age sueh outbreaks. Indeed, it is wei
III Times OF great excitement, that the
iaw' ciaeted by the people when the
blood and Judgment are cool, stand be-
tween them and their highly wrought
sympathles, and bring them buck to rea-
soh ana reelection. Otherwise civilization
would prove a failure.-Inter-Oc Ocean.