San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1886-11-09
1nE oaEAr CHICAGO STRIKE.

striker shall enter the yards or secure
employment, the strikers seem equally
determined to prevent non-uniOn men
from entering the yards or working In
any capacity. There is great exotic
ment Ofnecessity but 1t is OF the deep and
quiet KIND which is fully as dangerous
as the more noisy, demOnstratiVe va
ripty. The extent and Volume OF the
strike exceeds anythi z Of the kind
heretofore witnessed, when theE ratio
Of strikers to former employees is con-
siderrd In connection with this strike
there are several things to be noted
First. the packing company have not
kept faith with their wOrkmen. When
the eight-hOur law was being agitated
last May. and the packing houses in con-
cert with others came to an agreement
with their men that agreement should
have been kept inviolate. Eight hours
pay was accepted for eight hours work
by the men, and rs no injustice was
done the companies by this reduction Of
time at the expense of the workingmen
common justice required that the COM
pact then entered into should be kept.
This has not been done. The pack
ing houses not only demand OF
their wOrkmen return to the
ten hours system but refuse to
pay the pro rata for the ten hours
that they paid for the eight. Another
thing to be noted is-that notwithstand-
ing this injustice, the men, taught wis
dom by past dearly bought experiences,
were not willing to quit at the demand
OF the committee OF the knights OF La
Dor and seriously questioned the valid.
ty OF the order before yielding obedi-
ence to It. 1t also appears that the
action Of the committee in ordering the
strike was not unanimous, and that there
was serious question among the com
mittec, composed of members of the
Butchers association and the knights
OF Labor, about ordering the strike even
though the packers had not dealt justly
with their men. This strike also reveals
the fidelity to obligation and the obedi-
members Of these industrial orders, and
emph isles the necessity OF putting
such unlimited power as these central
conn ittees possess into the most con-
servaiive and wisest hands. 1t starts
very grave question, also, how far such
q committee should be entrusted in any
case with the power of life or death
over vast army Of $4,000 men with
their wives and little ones. The cOnse-
quences to these $4,000, deprived of the
means of subsistence on the very
threshold of winter, should be most
carefully considered before any such or.
der a. that of last Saturday was promul-
gated. II it be necessary for working
men TO organize themselves into assOCia-
lions. unions, or whatever el'e they may
be called for purposes of mutual
protection against the OppressiO0s of
those who employ them, it is none
the less necessary that such safeguards
and restrictions be thrown around these
unions as will prevent thousands of
wOrklngmen from being thrown out Of
employment and themselves and fami-
les r. nderrd destitute for mere idea.
II is Tot the abstract good alone that is
to be- evoked. The practical results
muzt ne considered no less, and the man,
or men, who are entrusted with the
vast power Ofdismissing 10000 workmen
rom their posts at will should be men of
ne dearest judgments, the most con-
,trvUtive minds, the most humane feel
pgs. Ii WINS generally expected that the
lnle general session OF the knights of
Labor at Richmond would take some
measures toprevent strikes being ordered
By local committees. These committees
f'r the most part are prejudiced by their
personal connection with the difficulties
arising, being themselves parties Of one
part, and thus incapacitated from acting
with that Cslmness and deliberation so
necessary in such crises as that precip-
itated at Chicago last Saturday. The
packing houses can supply the places of
these men. They can shut down for
weeks together IN the present condition
Of the market, without material loss
They are wealthy and can afford TO cease
business altogether. These workingmen
must have work or their families suffer.
Suppose that after weeks or months of
idlencss they resume work, at what
sacrifice for what re turns have they gone
out? No man profoundly impressed
with the situation as it now exists in
Chicago and moved solely by an interest
In the $4,000 strikers but will regret the
mandate that ordered these men TO quit
work under existing circumstances. The
demand is urgent for some system among
the industrial organizations that will
not make such orders binding upon IN
willing thousands, when even the voice
Of the committee ordering the strike was
not itself unanimously in favor OF that
prooe eding.
The candidacy Of Henry George, in
New York, scared the republicans out
OF years growth or they would have
elected Roosevelt; so thinks the st.
Louis Globe Democrat. The Democrat
loses sight Of two things in this calcula-
tion. 1t forgets that a goOdly number
OF the 5000 votes polled for George may
have been republican votes. and so ac-