Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1883-07-26
Wilmington, Thursday, July 26.l883,
Compromise.

Union Telegraph Company, having his
headquarters in Philadelphia, sensibly
says that the company cannot do
without the striking operators and
the operators need the COM
pany. He means, Of course. that
the capital of skill acquired by 5000 or
10000 operators can not be created in |
day aud that men who have given up
years to the acquisition Of such skill. can
not afford to sink their manual
capital by transferring their ener-
gies to other business. This
is entirely true, and it is one OF the con.
siderations most strongly urging to COM
promise of the present disastrous strike.
A strike in which many skilled workmen
are concerned is OF necessity shamefnlly
wssteful, and if such strike re-
suits in q considerable number OF
such workmen abandoning the trade in
which they are skilled the loss is some
thing enormous. Placing the average
at $500 per year, We may regard
the skill of each man as representing
capital of say $4,000 II 1000 OF them
permanently abandon telegraphing there
is an actual loss OF 81, 900, 600 in capital
and if 5000 of them abandon their pro-.
fession the loss is $1,000, 900.
1t is almost impossible that any such
sacrifice of capital represented by their
manual skill should BIZ made by these
men, and the majority must have the
employing that the telegraph companies
offer. On the other hand, the
companies can not create in a
single month or even in
a single year any such accumulation Of
skill as these operators have been from
three to twenty years in acquiring, and
meanwhile, as the slow process of con,
vincing employers and employed of these
facts goes on, the commercial world must
suffer through the stubbornness of both
sides.
AS far as we have been able to observe
business is more crippled every day. The
Associated Press, which is probably al
well served as any customer of the
Western Union Telegraph Company
having it's own operators in many cases
is greatly crippled, its condition
yesterday apparently being wors,
than AIRY day since the opening of tn,
strike. Reports come from all parts o
the country that inefficient operators ar
attempting to do the companies' work
and wherever We have had opportunit,
OF observation this has been abundant,
confirmed. In such condition Of affair
the plain duty of employers and striker
Is to come together and effect some sor
of compromise. As we said whe
the strike began, there is SUI
feient margin on both sides fo
concessions that shall leave the operator
materially better Oft than before tn
strike and shall not reduce the enormou
profits Of at least the Western Union con
pany below reasonable amount. {
course the public will not hold either sid
blsmeless in casa of stubborn persistenc,
but the Western Uuion company shoul
make the move to arrange such con
promise, and if it fails TO make such
move, . movement should be set on fot
by the smaller companies to make tern
with the strikers, afford the public Il
fullest facilities that their lines will no
admit Of, and extend their systems so
in some degree 10 make up for the preset
crippled condition OF the Western uuio
If such policy shall result in perm
nent transfer OF such of the WEBSTER
Unions business to other companies, tn
great corporation osn blame no one b
itself.