Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-10
The L.ahor Troubles.

West still continue, and there seems to 6e
nc Immediate prospect of a settlement
Both sides are firm and uncompromis-
ing, and are evidently disposed to fight
the battle out to the bitter end. One
significant fact in connection with these
labor troubles is the well nigh universal
sympathy felt for the strikers. Usually
in such cases, public sympathy is di-
vided, and each side can present about
an equal number of friends and defend
ers. Now, howe er, outside of the West
ern mill owners and the Northern rail
roads Immediately interested, the gene
raj sentiment is that the cause Of the
strikers, whether it eventually prevails
or not, is just.
This unanimity of sentiment in behalf
of the striking workmen may be account
ed for in various ways. In the first
place, the good conduct of the strikers
themselves has certainly tended to in
fuence the public IN their behalf. The
various strikes have now been going on
for several weeks, and thousands Of men
are engaged in them. Still, while there
NAV have been an occasional disturbance,
no serious outbreak has occurred, and, as
a rule, the men have been quiet and or
| derly-far more so than there has been
any reason to anticipate when the large
army of strikers are considered, and past
| experiences are called to remembrance.
Whether or not this respect for
law and order will be maintain
ed. cannot, of course, be known.
Unless business Tevives so that
the employers can comply with the de-
mands of the strikers with profit to
themselves, the trouble may continue
indefinitely. In that case want and sui
fering may excite the men, already
smarting under what they consider in.
justice, to disorder, though it is sincerely
to be hoped that no such fear as this
may ever be realized.
In the next place, the public knows
that the strikers were induced either to
demand higher wages or to resist reduc-
lions because of necessity. The cost OF
the uecessaries of life have greatly in
creased. and PROVISIONS not only took a
decided bound upward in price during
the spring and early summer, but they
have steadily advanced ever since, and are
still advancing. Men must live and sup
port their families, and, naturally, they
/ desire to do 60 as comfortably
as possible. Business became dull, it
is true, but the dizziness was conceded to
be due to the short crops of last year,
and to overproduction, the effect of
the bad-crops which had rendered pur-
chasers unable to supply themselves with
many needed articles, and forcing them
to get along with as little as possible
and to the protective tariff, which
shuts US out from the markets
of the world. Still it was anticipated
that all these difficulties would soon
at least partially vanish, and that with
promised good crops during the present
season, an early return of prosperity
might be confidently expected. Under
such circumstances it is generally
thought that even if employers were to
fail to realize their accustomed profits
for a season, they might reasonably have
listened to the appeals of the workmen,
and, at least, entered with them into a
liberal compromise.
Especially, too, is the public in
clined to favor the strikers, because it
is a well known fact that under the
workings of protection the mill owners
had realized enormous profits, greatly out
of proportion to the earnings of the men.
During the past two or three years
all departments Of business in
the country have fourished be-
yond precedent, and large fortunes
have been accumulated by fortunate
protected manufacturers. 1t certainly
would not have been any great hardship
for these favored sons of fortune to have
devoted a very small percentage of their
gains to enabling their workmen-
who they have so persistently
declared shared with them the
benefits of protection = to meet the
additional cost of subsistence imposed
on themselves and families.
These are the main reasons why pub
lie sympathy is so generally with the
strikers in the present labor troubles
North and West. 1t is not likely. how
ever, that the working men will succeed.
Even if eventually their demands are
complied with, it will be because the
mill owners and the railroad companies
will find it to their manifest advantage
to do so, but, in the m eantime, the men,
from long enforced idleness, will have
spent all their savings, and under any
circumstances will be the losers. The
probabilities are, though, that with their
means all expended, and they reduced to
want and necessity, they will at length
return to work upon the terms dictated
by their employers. We venture TO
predict, too, that they will gain nothing
by their present experience. They will
soon forget their troubles, allow them
selves to be again wheedled into the be.
lief that they are being protected by
protection, and so again they will vote
for a high tariff according to
the will of the manufacturers. Then
they will continue to work, satisfied with
their lot, until another short crop year
shall bring about another era of dizziness
and overproduction, when there will be
another big strike, with the same old
consequences and the same old result.
The Tariff Commission formally began
its labors on Thursday last. and the ad-
dress of its President, MIR. John L.
Hayes. of Cambridge, Mass, is else