The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-22
PICNICS AND STRIKES.

Mavor Moore, OF Cincinnati, Is evidently
a man OF views. The newspapers OF his
city are poking good deal OF fun at him
occasionally for his habit of perpetually
giving the public his views and advice on all
subjects, whether they are asked for or not;
but a double discovery made by him the
other day will certainly make his name
famous and beloved throughout this land
He has discovered at the same time how to
utilize picnics, and how to put down strikes.
Picnics are an outgrowth OF modern society
that neither the church nor the law makers
have ever been able to abolish; preachers
have preached against them, parents pro-
hibited them-ail In vain. The average
young man and young woman will go pic
nicking, despite red bugs, colds and the dele
FERROUS effects OF heavy cake and weak lemo-
made. Any person, therefore, who can put
picnics to any good use Is a public benefactor
worthy OF the highest honors that a grateful
people can bestow upon him; and such per-
son is Mayor Moore, of Cincinnati.
Strikes, also, 1t must be admitted, are quite
as great public nuisances as picnics. The
man, therefore, who can utilize the viilanous
and abominable picnic in putting down and
Graduating the equally unpleasant strike is a
philanthropist and a hero. Such was Mayor
Moores great discovery.
.cThere is not" he holds. "any real conflict
between labor and capital but there is some
iii feeling, or rather a lack of sympathy ex-
listing between employers and employees of
to-day growing out of lack OF social inter-
course between them, such as used to prevail
In the olden time, and such as even to-day
prevails in the most aristocratic countries OF
Europe and which ought to be all the
universal In republican America. This lack
Of sympathy, this want of friendly feelings is
the main cause of strikes, always the cause
Of any bitterness or riotousness that comes
with the strike. II the employee believed
that his employer meant to do him justice he
would be indsposed to injure him. or his
property in any way; but while this Is gen.
orally the case, the workngman fails to see
Ii. because he has never met or conversed
with his employer. How is this intercourse
to be- brought about2 Not in the employers
parlor, because that gentleman can scarcely
throw his parlor open to all; not in the work
shop, because that Is consecrated to work !;
but at picnics.
Mayor Moore cites q number of instances
to prove that picnics prevent strikes. He
finds that all those manufacturers that were
in the habit of giving picnics to their en-
ployees during which employers and en-
ployees mingled freely with each other, have
escaped strikes altogether; even during last
year. when strikes were epidemic throughout
the Union; he finds, also, that the only rail-
road not affected by the railroad strikes OF
last fall was the Indianapolis, Cincinnati and
Louisville, which was in the habit OF giving
its employees picpcs. At is hardly neces-
sary to cite the hundred similar cases cited by
him. No man who has studied the subject of
strikes will think of 4disputing the correct
ness OF Mayor Moore's proposition.
In view of the dsorganized condition OF
labor in this country. this discovery is bril-
liant and grand ona- The workingmen are
organizing says the~New York World, for
the grandest strike ever known. Let us pre-
pare for them row.. I'VE want no Philadel-
phia militia, no marines, no soldiers, but
armed with hard-boiled eggs, bottled beer,
pickles and old pies, we will nip this con-
spiracy in the bud and eradicate these
threatened strikes before they even see the
light. Picnics are the only hope of this
afflicted country.