The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-06-03
STRIKES, LABOR AND CAPITAL.


Throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, West
Virginia and other sections OF the east,
another great strike is being inaugu-
rated In the Iron, nail and steel in dus.
tries. So far as now known some $1,000 or
10000 men are now out of employment,
and mills have shut down representing
as many millions of capital as there are
mon out of employment. 1t seems that a
certain association in Pittsburg adopted
and submitted TO tho manufacturers a
certain scale OF wages which the latter
refused to acquiesce in, and tho conse.
quenco Is seen in the closing OF innu.
merable mills and the enforced idleness
and suffering of nearly 100000 people.
This is extremely unfortunate on all
sides. Not only will those mill owners
and their laborors suffer, but trade at
large must feel the difficulties and de-
preston of the situation and become
embarrassed through sympathy. This
region, comprised by western Pennsyl-
vania and West Virginia and eastern
Ohio, is the very hot-bed of labor trou-
bles and strikes, and annually loses to
both labor and capital more money than
all other undesirable and Objectionable
features in the country's progress and
Industry. The story of labor troubles
there is continued one and full OF
heart-rending incidents.
BBoth labor and capital are unques.
tionably to blame. The latter is proba-
bly, tyrannich and too grssping, while
the former is too powerfully dominated
by the trades unions and associations
which, in their way, are as autocratic
and selfish and unreasonable as are the
employers against whom they COM
plain. Moderation and concession on
both sides would doubtless result in
putting money into both the purses of
the employer and employed. Tho la
borer who acts blindly and promptly at
the beck and call OF the committee OF
the union Is as much slave as that
other one who responds despairingly
and at once and upon all occasions to
the nod Sf the nabob manufacturer. A
certain degree of independence aud
good sense, an individual reliance and
action are required to properly adj ust
these continuing troubles. Capital
must look more to its dependence upon
labor in individual cases, and less to CO.
operation and understanding with
others OF its class, and labor likewise
place Its faith in its necessity to capital
rather than In tyrannical committees,
too generally organized and worked
for selfish purposes.
These are simple propositions, but
seemingly hard TO comprehend by both
the workingmen and tho manufactur.
ers. They are too easily lead away.
They depend too little on their good,
hard sense. Their faith is pinned too
often to the skirts Of either reckless or
selfish professed friends and the great
mass suffers grievously. II every la
boror and every manufacturer or en-
ploye, regardless Of the general good of
the class he represents, would work and
act only with reference TO his own indl-
yidusl interests in every given case,
these great strikes, whore hund reds OF
thousands Of poor people are thrown
upon the cold charities of the world in
response TO the selfish and often unwise
dictates of the few would cease TO
plague the land and seriously retard the
cause oftrado and production generally. |