Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-06-13

retorts with the threat oil sIood' COuIo
ANYTHING be more monstrous in q civilized
and a Christian society? 1t il not usual to
lay bare the antagouism OF labor sSd capital
% is here doue. Euphemisms and general
expressions that mean nothing are ordinarily
employed in such cases. That way OF treat
ing a most profoundly serious question Is az
foolish az the hunted ostrich which hides its
head in the sand. 1t is well that laborer
and employer should look facts clearly in
the face, and that the former should pause
| before he hurls threat so murderous, and
that the employer should pause before ne
| has resource TO the argument Of starvation.
The laborers OF other lands beg for pity in
| such circumstances; the American laborer
has been brought up to know ths! he ia
emaD, and as such has rights equal 10 those
possessed by the richest and most powerful.
| He is therefore one who cannot, safely, be
| threatened with a deprivation of the means
| Of living. The American lsborer ia not the
passive clod Of Europe. He il obsery.
ant and intelligent, and when his
employer says, Il cannot afford to pay
what you ask" yet, after strike or the
threat of a strike has compelled him to pay
| the amount dem anded, if his workmen see
him thrive and increase in wealth, while
| paying what be denied be could pay, then
! they draw correct conclusions. They see
there has been an attempt to deprive them
| Of what was justly theirs, and they meet the
| threat of starvation with the threat of blood.
| Have they . -;sk. Il 80 OF e0uI
every instinct Of equity, and what is required
for the welfare and peace of society, con-
denim such threat. But that is only one
half the case. The employer has implied
| his threat; be has not embodied it in coarse
| aud brutal expression as The workman has
done. He has implied, "Work on my terms,
or you and your wife and your little ones
shall be left TO hunger and cold and naked
nssa. II the other threat was wrong, Is this
threat right? Il will not do to condemn the
| wrong done by the trades union that has com
bined to put up wages, yet have no word Of
| reproof for the Trades union that has
combined to put down wages. The New
York Herald says: "Strikes are becoming
more frequent, and slowly but relentlessly
wages are cut down under a spell Of indus
trial depression. This process must continue
unless some relief, other than such as will
merely stave off the evil hour without re-
moving the cause, is afforded. These dis.
turbances, which are from lime to time re-
curing, show deep current Of discomfort
on the part of the woTkmen with their con-
dition." These words mean that, as events
are tending from year TO year, the state OF
things that has existed at Believilie will be-
come more frequent and more aggravated.
We have shown above IN clear terms how
barbarous, cruel ard murderous Is the atti-
tude assumed by the parties at Beleville,
and by other strikers; can We look without
apprehension at the multiplication of such
scenes in the near future? The en-
ployer may say that when it comes
to extremity he will call the military to his
aid. That ia, TO the threat OF starvation the
employer, also, does not hesitate to add the
threat OF blood. He, too, then, as he uses
two threats 10 the laberer's one, had better
take warning ss well as give it, and his warm
ing lies in the fact that the independent
American workingman ia not the cowed-
dowa vsssal OF Europe. Another warning is
that the people Of the United States will not
be go blind as to think conduct that is 30
wrong in the employed is right in the en-
pOyer, and when injustice is manifest they
will no more permit the employer to shed the
laborer's blood by the soldiers musket thsn
they will permit the employers blood to be
shsd by the laborer's revolver. These strikes
/ aud mutual threats are full of dam
: ger for The future, asd Dhrt is here slid
should be enough to convince all that merely
I staving off the evil of the hour will not suf-
! fee to stop the flow of the undercurrent that
| exists, nor to allay the discomfort that
] raDkles in the breasts of thousands of Ameri-
, can workmep. Wisdom and prudence sug-
! gest that steps should be taken to prevent
dangers that now moot seriously threaten
our social system. Other nations put off
the evil day, or in extremity shoot down the
weakest of two offending parties. In this
free land We have contriyed means of escap-
ing many evils Of State and Church and
| class that other nations have considered
irremediable, and if we choose to take up
| the great problem of labor and capital, we
can harmonic their relations, at least to the
extent OF settling disputes without threats Of
starvation and blood. There is wealth
enough in this country to provide every
sober, industrious, honest family 10 it, not
merely with the necessities, but with the
| comforts OF life. We have only so to change
our laws as to provide n u iust wise, and
an Intelligent system that shall so far
change the present mode OF distributing that
wealth to bsursh forever such scenes az
this at B=leviiIe, aud tho stil worse scenes
| that would have 0ssn e1sc'ed had the eX.
| pected strike in ;he iron trade gone on, and
thrown $4,000 meu and their families iGto
disorder, want and violence. Il is full lime
that thought and act seized upon this mo-
mentous problem in order thst future grave
disasters may be averied, and that the rich
may cease to grow richer and the poor poorer.