The weekly sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1886-1887, 1886-05-20
THE LABOR QUESTION.
STRIKES AND SOME OF THEIR
CAUSES AND CURES.
A Practical and Conservative View of One
of the Vital Issues of the
Day.
BY d. F. E


Day.
The great question of our country
to-day is the labor question. Not
merely are home industries con-
cerned, but the commerce of the
world is shaken by the mighty Ell
forts of labor to control capital and
of capital to control labor. Glanc-
ing over the last five hundred years
of English History, we find this
question giving more trouble to the
thinking statesman than any other
connected with the economy of the
Government. Legislation has proved
futile, for necessity knows no law,
and the powers of might has ever
resulted in anarchy and riot. Trade
guilds have seemed to furnish the
direct solution but contingent cir
cumstances, if not elemental defects,
have so far caused these to be inef-
fectual. Copartnership has been
advocated but the capitalists are
10th to surrender any of their inter
ests. Hence no special advance to-
wards solution has been made for
the last several centuries and the
demands of the trade guilds of the
fourteenth and fifteenth centuries
have their counterpart in the de-
mands of the Knights Of Labor in
this nineteenth century.
Never were capitalists and labor
ers more bitterly arrayed against
each other than now, and never in
our history at least, were the indica-
lions more portentous. The labor
ing man has come to the inevitable
conclusion that he is unable to cope
single handed with the immense
railroad syndicates and manufactur-
ing corporations with colossal fortunes
and high protection tariff to back
them. The order Of Knights of
Labor is the first of this conclusion
and it has entered into pitched
battle, the end of which is not yet
apparent.
The question must be settled for
the present and that right soon.
With the business interests of the
country paraly zed, a panic must
shortly ensue that would be exceed
ingly disastrous to all parties. 1t is
now a question Of endurance. Here
tofore, the disorganized state of the
laboring classes has caused their
early defeat. But now it is good
organization against good organiza-
ton. 1t is a well filled treasuary
against fortunes. 1t is a body of
men with little to lose against a body
of men Who have everything to lose.
No thinking man will, for a mo-
ment, admit that there can be any
real conflict between labor and capt.
tai. Either is useless without the
other, and that which promotes the
interest of one is, or should be, con-
ducive to the interests of the other.
And conversely, when one suffers,
the other cannot continue to prosper.
This postulate of course presupposes
that other things are equal. But at
present other things are not eqeual.
The selfshness of the capitalist the
avarice of the laborers, the tendency
of the wealth Of country to run
into certain channels, thus surfeitiDg
some and impoverishing others, and
other indications of an unhealthy
state Of business interests, all tend to
destroy this equilibrium.
Strikes are movements set on foot
by body Of laborers for the attain
ment of definite purpose, generally
to effect an advance in wages or to
prevent a reduction. The right of
a body Of men to quit work when
they can do SO without violating a
contract will be questioned by no
one. The first point to be settled is
aohy a body of men should strike.
The causes may be summed up I'M
der two heads: the first to subserve
heir pecuniary interests directly,
d the second, to prevent the en-
vment of "scabs" or workmen
,. members Of their body corpor-
These are the two causes best
= ed by the labor movements
Veiop vnl country. And the ex-
our on hich this second cause is
ut to W. itself is tru,v ALARMING
anifesting on account of the mob
It so haucn nay be imminent, and
is frequently Nv because # ind;,
1t more especia moral status of
ties an unhealth nf Tho worl~;nr
large proportio. sinew Of our r
Ell, the bone and BODY of mon
government. When !: !, fbaenano
-, forr, :, ,,nion and