New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-04-12
FIGHTING FOK HARD TIMES.

Cannot WOrklngmcn ullucIStihu 'i'' INV
arc taking bread from their own mouths, ana
money out of their own pockets, by such oe-
bayior as they have INDUCED in recently
No preiudcc should blind them to TACT
so important to their own interest. Dusl-
ness men all see il and yet to them the dis
,urbance means only little difference III prot
its. For even at st. Louis, where the dlsturD-
ance has been greatest. the volume OF business
last month was actually iour per cent greater
than in the same month of 1850, and last week
il was only pa per cent less than III the CORE
spending week of last year. Thus more tllah
ninetv-scven per cent of the business OF great
city went on in spite of strikes and riots. burn
inps and bloodshcd But business men see
that widespread uncertainty as to labor means
a prolonged depression of industry. theConsc-
ouences of which will inevitably be felt by all
traders and capitalists. though they Will fall
more heavily upon workngmcn than upon
ANYBODY else. Why should not worklngmen
see that they are doing themselves harm
A month ago a capitalist who had very large
sum to lend received Application Tor a loan 10
complete and put in operation manufacturing
establishment of great Importance. Inc
property to be mortgagcd would be ample Sc
curity III any healthy state OF business, ana the
capitalist, cOnsi dering that business revival
had begun III earnest, was strongly Inclined TO
make the loan, if inquiries as to titles andother
details were satisfactory Last week the re-
ports came in, and were more satisfactory imam
had been expected. But the parties were sur
prised to receive from the capitalist note
positively declining to make the loan. lie had
concluded that the disturbed state OF labor the
proved inability OF the most iudlclOus ana IN
flnential men of the knights OF Labor to check
a strike which they admitted had been begun
without adequate reason, the wrong-headed,
unreasoning and savage spirit manifested
by many workers. the infamous conduct OF
many strikers in threatening and assailing men
who wanted to work, and the scnseleSS ana
shameless boycotting, attempted for triiing
reasons or no reasons, made 1t unsafe to invest
money at present in any enterprise dependent
on the employment Of labor The consequence
is that works which would have employed
great number of men will not be completed
and operated at present.
Last week a Wilmington establishment de-
Cided not to take certain large contract which
would have kept their iron works in full opera
ton for long time. Two months ago that
establishment would have considered the same
contract very desirable, and would have antici-
pated handsome profits from If. But now the
managers can torn no idea what labor may de-
mand as soon as the men know that the con
Germ has undertaken important work, and
therefore the contract is more likely to insure
heavy loss than any gain. The result Is that
this concern also refuses to employ thousands
of men who would otherwise be set at work at
good wages.
These are but samples of an influence which
harms far more wOrkinGmen than are engaged
in all strikes from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
According to reports, the MI nber OF men on
STRIKES less than 10000. But il far greater
number are unemployed simply because capital
does not dare to put itself at the mercy OF men
who show neither reason nor justice, neither
decency toward other workers nor practical
good sense in regard to their own interests.
More than 800, 600, 900 of money, it is easy to
prove, Is now living idle in this country which
could keep employed 100000 men, while
machinery and capital already invested
amounting to several times 100000, 900 more
are now standing idle, because men who have
enough 10 live on for the present prefer not to
risk il until labor shows more reason and more
iusticp