The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-03-20

AS soon as Master. Workman Powderly
was known to have gono West, confidence
began to be re.established, for the country
has great faith in Mr.. Powderly's wisdom
and in his willingness to restore the order
" course Of business. Having reached
Kansas City Mr.. Powderly said: "Candid
", / do not see the necessity for thlsstrike
or for lie continuance. In fact, the day o.
strikes is passed. / never ordered one In
my life and, with two exceptions, never
failed in m endeavor to meet employer
for settlement Of differences with en-.
ployees."
Now that great loss has been inflicted
upon labor and capital, arbitration Is looked
to for settlement. How much wiser Il
would have been to turn TO arbitration III
the beginning. A St. Louis dispatch to
the New York Times gives an estimate oil
abe cost Of the strike after II had been on
for eleven days:
The strike has continued now for II
days on the Missouri Pacific, during which
time scarcely any freight has been moved
by the railroad. II tho road had been
steadily in operation there would have
been moved within this time between
various points, according to fair esti.
mate, not less than BG, coo tons, or l32, 000,.
900 pounds, OF freight, the valne Of which
would be over $40 100000. or course this
freight Is not actually lost, because much
OF Il is not perishable, hut In Its rcmain.
ing stationary there Is Just as much loss
as would occur in the cutting of Of that
much trade. There is loss In damage 10
the property and shrinkage Of value which
can scarcely be computed. Tho railroad
people estimate that the loss to the com.
pany through damage and expense OF
Intellectual attempts to operate will az.
gregate not not less than Sl00, 900, while
In revenue which would come into the
company tthe strike had not taken place,
the loss is placed at $1,000, 900. There ID
vet another aspect to the situation which
Is OF interest 10 all classes OF citizens
engaged In business, and this 10 the
amount Of money which In case OF no
strike would have been dlsbursed by the
railroad 10 It's employees for wages and to
manufacturers and dealers for material.
The sum Is placed at over 100000. II
there had been no strike thelarge amount
OF money now In reserve would have been
In circulation and would have changed
hands with profit
The aspect Of the strike Is Just as serious
for the strikers. Leaving out oil the queS.
tion altogether the thousands OF employees
who have lost wages indirectly through
the strike by the Htoppage Of traffic, the
loss TO tue railroad employees has been
great The reports received from every
employer Of men on the Missouri Pacific
give the exact situation. The railroad
officers allege that when tho strike com.
inenCed there were 1876 on the nav
rolls, The reports which have been "a.
csiyed from the employers show, Ihey
say, that Of this number only 8,7l7 men
are strikers. In consequences Of the strike
there have been Co.'s employees sus.
pended because the road cannot be
operated, and 4,609 men arc at work ID
tie various branches Of service, The
strike, therefore, has thrown out Of EN-,
ploynient g,Slg men. Alta little over g.
Der day, which, according TO the state,
inent Of the elIiCefs, Is less than the
average, about $4,000 per day 10 lost ID
wages, aggfegatlng In the eleven days
$4,000. There Is one singular thing
about the figures concerning the EN-
pioyes given by the railroad people, and
thisiS that the actual strikers only mum.
Der S,7i7. II IL singular that this small
number Of men should check the entire
operations Of the railroad, and should
cause Che discharge Of nearly double their
own number,
Where labor has a Just complaint u
ought 10 be possible 10 do justice through
arbitration. The question which lies at
iha bottom Of this PARTICULAR trouble 10