New-York tribune., 1886-03-06
THE VICTORY or TIE S1RiKERS.


The car drivers and conductors have tri-
umphed again. Their general strike broke
down the obstinate resistance 10 their demands
made by Mr.. Richardson and his wrong headed
associates. Until thls measure was adop'eu
everybody was on their side. There Is practi-
caliy no sympathy with the street railroad COM
panies in this city in conflict between theh anu
their ill-pad and over worked drivers. Many
of them got valuable franchises from this long
plundered community for nothing many oi
them have watered their stock out OF reason
tbe franchises of some are ciouded
by gross corruption Of the peoples servants
and all OF them are believed to earn high re-
tnrns-often extravagantly high Ictuws-on
the actual investment. When a dIlver
vino has been forced to stand on the
platform through the rains and billiards. OF the
past month for from twelve to fourteen hours
for a payment of two dollars asks reasonable
time for MS meals, everybody wishes him sue
cess.
We have not approved the means by
which this success was secured. In order to
compel a surrender by one company in New
York and one in Brooklyn all ears drawn 10y
horses on Manhattan Island were " tied up
This caused serious Inconvenience to tens OF
thousands OF men, women and children. The
strikers showed no sympathy for the immense
army of wage-earners who were forced to go
from their homes to their places OF toll yesteI-
day morning Those who could make use ol
the elevated roads of cOuIse did so, but the
number of those who must travel to and from
their work by the surface cars Is enormous, ana
every one of these had cause to regret
the action of the drivers and conductors.
People who are smarting from q sense OF their
own injuries are often unjust to others. In the
effort to redress their own wrongs they tram
ple ON the rights of the community and OF
individuals alike.
Such conduct deserves severe censure. so OF
the outrages of Thursday when cars We're upset
and damaged, tracks were 0Dstructad ana
stones were thrown at policemen. No reason
able person thinks of defending or excusing
such breaches of the peace. But when the
police succeed in restoring order without tax
ing life and without cruel use OF
their clubs, they deserve praise and
honor. No doubt The Ne'c-Iork Times
and The EreaiRg Post would have been
better satisfied If revolvers and clubs had been
used without stint on the strikers and if Grand
St l10 DteD Ulltu VIII tuC NpNiANNN anu
the dead. But encouragement to violence on
the part of tine force whose first duty Is
forbearance and sef-contrOl Is as useless as IL Is
savage. Bloody collisions between strikers
and the guardians of the peace would lead 70
the most deplorable results. Fortunately the
good temper, discretion and moderation Ol
officers and men have prevented pitched
hattie in our streets which might have revived
the horrors Of 1868.
Yet there was no cringing, no cowardlcc,
and no trucking in the behavior OF our
bluecoats. They acted with frmncss as
v-oll AS energy but they naturally and properly
! hesitated before bringing on conflict when
might in the end have cost hundreds ot nvcs'
Those whom they kept in check were not muir
derous rufiians who deserved to be shot down
or dubbed to death. They had been Tor years
earning scanty livelihood by the hardest OF
| hard work. They had become infuriated against
the prosperous employers who refused to give a
inst return for their labor. and had lost their
heads. In their blind rage they were guilty
of many wanton and indefensible acts.
They have recovered from their folly and their
| fury and they may still be Of use and value to
the world. If the police had shot down some
scores of them i'll what way would the city nave
been the gamer
The settlement of the strike was accom-
plished by the general "tie-up" of yesterday.
| 1t was bludgeon which the menlused, and it
proved an irresistible weapon. II would have
been far better if they could have secured what
they sought in a manly, honorable way. But
they have had stubborn foes TO deal with. MIR.
Richardson and men of his stamp are hard to
overcome. Now that the companies have been
defeated in what probably is their final stand
we hope to see peace and prosperity for en-
Movers and employed alike in the streets OF
| New York and Brooklyn.
| Az ARBITRATION Law.