Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-03-09
DAILY P0ST-IHTELLlGENcER
AN ERA eF sTEIEEs.


II il evident that q -birlElnd OF
strikes and other labor troubles =
sweeping over the coansry very similar
70 that xhish, IN 1871, caused 80 maes
suffering and Ezek loss q life and
prouery. Already strikes Of 8 f0suid-
able kind have bees reported from Ae~
York. from the coal regions Of Penn
syIvaBia and Maryland. from Osio,
from Illinois. and from the Southwest
eru railroad system. In sofas q thsse
plsees the strike il simply an 0r5srl'
and psaeeabls movement undertaken By
the xorkinemen. In others there have
already been acts whish ssvor Of Fio
Lance and lAxiessness, and which give
promise Of s.rioas trouble IN the near
future. Although the crisis may D"
aver,ed and the scenes Of 1911 nsy roi
be re-enaotsd. il cannot BE- denied that
the situation IL much the same A. At the
beeinnipe Of that vide spread and dis
astrous tr0able.
Doubtless many Of the strikes now in
progress are iastihabie and should sue
osed. Many others, however, sre prob
ably foolish and uncalied for. In some
GASES the right IL on one side IN other
cases on the ether. Probably In some
oasss the strikers would be at loss 10
tell Why they refuse to work They have
struck because 1t Is the fashion to do 81
and because they were attacked by the
prevalent fever. Tbs strike Of the Sta
debaker employees at Soath Bend. for
instance. seems 20 be one OF the latter
olaas. Judging from the telegraphio
reports OF that trouble, the men are
wholly at fault. A strike for an inofesse
Of Is per cent. il wages, while The IN
dustries OF ,he country are 10 their pres
emit depressed condition, can scarcely be
iastifisd By any circumstances. Sncb
treatment Of employers by employees Il
especially reprehsnsibls ia the case IN
der consideration. for the studebaker-
are famous for the uniform courtesy,
fairness and consideration with which
they treat their workmen. In the thirty
eight years since the establishment of
their works, they have not bees shut
d own day except for repairs With
such record it il rather hard that they
should be- compelled 10 suspend opera
lions by sudden and unexpected de-
mand from their employees for an in
crease of u per cent. II wages. and that,
too, at q time when few manufacturing
enterprises are more than self sustaining.
Probably no subject has been more
thoroughly discussed, and none has
been less satisfactorily discussed than
the ethics of strikes. There are those
who believe that any strike is radically
and essentially wrong, and that the men
who engage in them are natural enc
mics OF the community. With them
strikes are held in the same estimation
as socialism, communism and all other
false theories OF life and government.
Another class view the subject from an
entirely different stand point. In their
opinion strikes are always right. and
strikers are justified in going to any
length to carry point. They believe
EMPLOYERS to be monsters OF iniquity.
and employees to combine all the quail
ties Of excellence aud nobility in hu
manity.
As usual. the truth lies between these
extreme views. II John Smith IL Sork
ing for William Brown. no one would
think Of questioning the abstract right
OF John TO ask for an increase Of Wages
20 decline to work longer at his Ole
wages, or 30 refuse TO render bis services
for less consideration than he hac
been receiving. II John Smith has that
right. Of course, all his fellow wo. kmer
possess II also. II all possess IL indi
viduslly, of course, they possess 1t col
lectively, and John and his companions
have a perfect right to sell their laboI
or to refuse to sell II ss they think fit
Further than this. John has a right Il
decline 10 work beside man who is oh
noxious to him for aoy reason and al
his fellow workmen have the same right
II they wish the discharge of the OBJ
noxious man and the employer refuses
10 discharge him, they may refuse IL
longer work beside him and may 20 oni
on Q strike.
On the other hand. however. john
and his fellow strikers have no right to
foreibly prevent other men from work
Ing, or 10 interfere with the business OF
their ex.employsr. II one hundred
men refuse TO sell their labor at 90
much per day aud leave a factory In a
body, their RICH. TO do so cannot bs
questioned. IL. however, one hundred
more workmen come who are willing "a
sell their labor for the price offered, the
old employees have no right to prevent
them from doing 80. A man should sell
his labor much as merchant sells
cloth. Suppose A enters the store Of Il
and offers him one dollar per yard for a
certain grade OF cloth. II b chooses to
refuse bis effer and TO keep his clots.
he has perfect right 10 do 80, but he
has no right 10 rush into the store of c
and TO prevent him by force from sell
ina his cloth TO A. SO workinsman
has perfect right TO decline so sell his
labor 10 an employer. bat be has No
right 10 prevent fellow workman from
doing 30.
In the death Of Senator Miller the