Morning journal and courier., 1883-07-27
,SonrnaI allS GGlrrisr.
SINGLE COPIES THREE CENTS.
Friday July 27, 1888.

| THE TRUE REMEDY FOR STRIKES
 The great strike of the telegraph opera
 tors brings up again the question, Do strike pay? This question can be broadly an
 sWered In the negative. There have beer
 some strikes where the strikers were sue
 eessful Tn securing the granting of their de
 mands' but very few where they have really
 made anything by the operation. On the
 other hand the losses to those who have
 ''struck" have been very large. In England l the organization of workers has been per. haps better than in any other country. Yei 1 the amount of money, in the shape of wages, 1 lost by strikers first and last in Great Brit. l ain is over twenty two millions of dollars. Out of two thousand three hundred and fifty
 two strikes only seventy-one were success.
 fuI. These are eloquent figures They tell
 of much cruel disappointment and suffering.
 The labor problem has not yet been solved
 by strikes and probably never will be. Fossil
 hly it never will be solved in any way to the entire satisfaction of all concerned, for hu- man selfshness and greed do not show signs of disappearing. But much could be done to
 wards giving employees and employers their " PAOPCE 5ybL0m OI 8fD1tratlOn
 Such system would be an advantage to both sides, and it is astonishing that the ex
 pertinent has not been more extensively tried. The French have made more progress than any other people in this way of deal ing with disputes between workmen and their employers. In many manufacturing centers in France there are"Councils of Wise 
 or more members elected in equal numbers by the masters and workmen, and president and vice president appointed by the govern ment, one of them being an employer and the other a workman. The president and vice president hold office for three years and are eligible for reappointment. The other members are elected for six years, but one- half retire every three years In case of vacancy occurring the prefect of the munici- pality orders new election. No man is eligi- ble under the age of 30, and the electors must be 25 years of age, and, if workmen. must have served at their trade for five years The Councils have in most respects the powers of a regular law court, and take cognizance of disputes between master and workman and between workmen themselves Each Coun- Gil is sub divided into private bureau and general bureau, the former consisting of two members, and intended to effect peaceful settlement, failing which the disputes must go from "the peacemakers'' for hearing be- fore the other and larger bureau. The pro- cedure is very simple, and the decision of g Council is final, except in certain cases, as when documents are disputed. In these ex- ceptional instances appeals are allowed to the ordinary tribunals.
 There are 132 of these Councils in France, Before them, in 1880, 8, ,429 cases came up, of which one fourth were settled before pass- ing the conciliators of the private bureaus In an annual average of 7,955 cases put down for hearing before the general courts, 4,7s9, or three ffths, were withdrawn before hear ing. These figures speak well for the sys- tenn. All that is needed to make it work well anywhere seems to be fairness on both sides There are some employers who have no dis position to be fair, but the great majority of them, we believe, wish to do right by those who work for them. Arbitration offers way of settling labor disputes fairly, and without loss of dignity or temper.