The Wilmingtonian., 1886-05-01
The Labor Problem.

The Labor Problem.
The most vital question of the day is the |
labor problem and the best friend of the Ia
boring classes is he who has the courage to
call a halt i'll their present illogical and in |
temperate course.
Viewed from the stand point of the moro c.
co dressers themselves the strike was lily
advised because there was no substantial
cause for it. The morocco dressers had not
formulated their grievances and presented
| them to their respective employers, but
class of men foreign to this city and with
nothing in common with our people injected
| themselves in our midst created, imaginary
! dissensons between employer and employe
and precipitated a strike without notice to
| the manufactures who had thousands of dol
/ lars of skins in lime which could not be
neglected, for even day, without great pc
cuniary loss. Not only this, but in the shop
of Mr.. William Bush after there had been
a complete and final adjudication Of the
wage question, his employees were ordered
out, and out, they went. One grave aspect
presents itself in the discussion of this ques-
tion, viz the breaking up the confidence and
dssolving the harmonious relations which
formerly existed between the employer and
employee
The prosperity Of this community is lar
gely dependent upon the trust and confidence
between employer and employed. Both
capital and labor have suffered incalcullably
from the general distrust which has arisen
from the labor disputes, and there should be
no time lost in effe2ting a peacable under
standing between these now conflicting ele-
ments.
Capital depends upon labor to broaden its
borders and enlarge its possibilities but it
must not be forgotten, however unpalatable
and forbiddng the term, that capital com
mands labor every time, Capital may be and
often is unscrupulous in its exaction yet we
come and we go at its bidding.
Physicians, law! ers, artisans and minis
tiers bow to the privileges and caprices of
Dame Fortune these may be unpalatable
facts, yet they can not be gainsaid, and the
man who stands upon the street coner decry-
ing capital is not wise.
The grievances of labor against capital can
be met, not by violence, not by flaming pro-
camations, not by the sword, not by dyna-
mite, not by boycotting, not by strikes, but
by the ballot box.
The proletariat and the millionaire meet
: upon a common level at the ballot box and
, through the agency of the ballot Legitimate
: | protection can be secured to labor.
Strikes invariably react against the striker:
and their second condition is worse thar
: their first.
\ Mr.. Powderly, the able and clear headed
leader of the Knights of Labor states tha
. strikes are antagonstic to the Fundamental
: principles of his order George N. Sceets, edi
for OF Knights of Labor organ, Chicago, de
clares strikes to be foolish no matter how
! lust the cause of the strikes might be, ant
said they were a weapon which no working
r man could use without doing harm to him
r. self They were to be avoided above al
in things There had never yet been strik
70 where tile strikers made permanent gain G
ii anything they demanded.
William Gleason, prominent member o
rt of the Knights of Labor also warns the me
Df ag Ainst following the lead of the woode
n. head fellows who were so fond of orderin
H. strikes and told them they could alWay
n gain more by exercising Judgment and CON
be monsen
ny The Knights of Labor Of Wilmington nun
ut Der among its membership many Of the mo-
lid honorable and discreet men in this city, bl
lid unfortunately unwise counsels have bee
Try allowed to dominate. Men of intempela
lid Judgment have essayed to lead and th
,rk have lead the order to the verge Of disint
he grafton.
my We have heard men by the score unrest
m vedly state that unless the order practis'
us its preachings that they would diss OIL
no their connection with it, and we have al
ION heard the members state that thy would u
submit to an assessment for the purpose
the encouraging lot of men in vo'unta ry id
umlh m ness.
hS The horizon Of the knights is alrea
clouded and a stampede from the npendi
IN storm is as certain as is the coming of
ts morrows sun. Within the past week we Il
t. Young man who has the care, largely,
an his fathers family and he frankly stated t
mas he did not know why he left his position
SION the morocco bench. He said that his c
line ployers were kind, his work not excessiv
lads laborious and that he was making SIS
nily week-but to. day his family are on the
&C of charity,
low Another family, whose head is on str
inner have very sick child, and the medicine
and food are furnished at the hands of char
var But now will charity extend her good of
they under these circumstances? Can a man
one UNFAIRLY walk the streets and expect
ms neigh5ors to sustain his family9
An exceedingly sad picture was presei
site - to the writer within the last Thirty
ID Il hours A thoroughly honest and conse