Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-11-06


The Augusta strike has at last been
settled. and the locked out and striking
operatives return 70 work on Monday.
| The Augusta people are happy over the
termination of the trouble, and well they
NAV be, because it was having very de-
pressing effect upon business. For two
months and more hundreds OF men and
women who were good cash customers OF
the retail business houses and marketmen
have been earning nothing, and, although
they had some savings when they quit
work, they have for the most part OBJ
tained the necessaries of life upon credit.
They were rapidly becoming burden too
heavy for their creditors to carry, and il
the trouble had lasted much longer there
must have been great deal of suffering.
There are some of the worGIngmen
doubtless who will ask themselves the
question whether the strike was not
mistake, and whether, If the differences
between the mill owners and the opera
tlves had been inquired into with deter
mination to do On4y what was fair and
right, settlement might not have been
reached, fully as satisfactory as the one
that has been agreed upon, without stop
ing a wheel or depriving an operative of
days employment.
The fact that the Brotherhood OF Loco
motive Engineers seldom strike or have
asy lOng-standing difference with their
employers is pretty good evidence that
where there is a spirit OF cancellation and
a willingness to listen to reason labor
troubles can generally be adjusted with
out much delay.
No sensible person will deny that work
ingmen have grievances and that there
are employers who will Cypress them and
deny them their rights; but on the other
h and ii must be admitted that under the
advice and leadership OF agitators work
ingmen make demands which are neither
just nor reasonable, and which cannot
with safety be complied with.
At Augusta a demand was made upon
the mills which they declared they could
not respond TO. In other words, as one
of the speakers at the mass meeting in
Augusta on Thursday night said, impos-
sbilities were demanded of the mills. 1t
was more than two months before the
strikers were willing 10 admit that they
had demanded impossibllities, although
it is not improbable that they could have
found Gutth truth in two hours and saved
the operatives from weeks Of idleness and
very neavy losses in the way OF wages.
| 1t Is not improbable that in the future
the ar bitratiOn committee that has been
appointed will be able to so satisfactorily
settle all labor troubles tnat there will
not be any more strikes or lockOuts at
Augusta except in very extreme cases.
1t is noticeable, also, that an arbitration
committee has been appointed by the
managers and operatives Of the Philadel-
phia factories, at which a strike was
| threatened.
There are very few labor troubles
which cannot be settled by arbitration,
provided the arbitrators are sincere and
are guided by a desire to do only what is
right. Arbitration has been found to
answer admirably in France and is re-
garded with great favor in England. A
far trial OF it in this country may, to a
very great extent, put stop to the labor
troubles here, which are doing so much
just now towards depressing business
and making it impossible for employers
| to pay good wages.