Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-03

The Dimensions of the labor troubles all over
the country not realized till an estimate Is
made Of the dollars and cents which will be
actually lost-thrown away as effectually as If
sunk at the bottom of the sea-by the continu-
snce for any considerable period of the strikes
begun to-day. Setting the number of strikers
st one hundred thousand, which Is a modest
calculation, and the average price of q days
labor at even two dollars and fifty cents, we have
nearly two million dollars each week taken
from the pockets of the workingmen, and the
sum OF production Of the Industries affected by
the strikers cut down to the same extent The
hurt will be sorely felt by the employer, for the
profits OF 8 season To which ne has been looking
forward several months as the beginning OF a
new era In trade are bound to be reduced. In
some cases he will actually be bankrupted by
contracts he cannot fulfill. But on the work.
lngman the blow will fall even more heavily.
He is not in a position to stand long siege,
particularly with the credit line narrowing in
the shops where he buys his daily necessaries,
and the price of every commodity rising in pro-
portion with the decrease of production.
In view OF the absolute and irreparable in
Jury TO both contestants, why cannot a COM
promise be effected? 1t would cost each some
thing to make concessions now, but the sacrifice
IT the beginning would be trifiiDg as compared
with the responsiveness of long-continued pc
Nod of idIeness, which must be brought to a
close eventually by the backdown OF one party
the other If the employer demands ten
hours and the employee is willing to give only
eight, why cannot they split the difference and
call nine hours a days work? Or why cannot
they leave 1t to a board of arbitration to hear
the arguments on both sides and decide what
the terms of compromise shall be?
In Chicago and some other cities a nervous
feeling prevails over the possibility of riots and
bloodshed. The people of the District of Col
umhia have no such fear to haunt them. They
have witnessed contests before this between
employers and workingmen, in which there
was much strength of feeling; but the reign Of
law was everywhere respected. Our working
men are, as class, Us order-loving and self-re-
sDecting citizens as can be found in any
walk of life. The law is always sure
If their support when 1t is righteously
administered. Those who belong to the
knights of Labor are particularly Jealous
ust for the maintenance of peace
and the protection of property They feel that
their order is on trial. and that it will receive
Or lose public sympathy according TO its con-
duct under the present strain put upon it
The two revivalists Jones and Small, are re-
ported rs preparing to lay siege to Washington
next autumn, for the purpose of converting
some Congressman. Are they not putting off
the day of grace too long? Just before the
opening of a session it is easy to make converts
IN Congress, for the mind of the lawmaker is in
gentle and receptive mood, and his good reso-
lutions are as plentiful as the new leaves turned
over in January by ordinary men. But IL is not
ease, we understand il, that Messrs Jones
and Small covet. They want hard work and
an abundance of it, The more desperate the
sinner. the better pleased they are with chance
10 handle him. The heavier the charge OF I'M
righteousness in the atmosphere, the reader
they are to project into il the sweetness and
light OF their doctrine. Why do they not come
here and begin work when q river and harbor
bill is pending, full of positive iniquities and of
omissions scarcely less appalling? II they
could preach little practical religion into the
los-rul!ers ut the Capitol who can afford TO vote
away hundreds of thousands of dollars of the
peoples money to improve mud creeks for the
benefit OF private or local interests, but not a
cent for work necessary TO the commerce and
the health OF the one city which all the tax
payers own. they would do q work whose virtue
even the stubbornest skeptic would not dare
deny.
Brooklyn, y. Y, is the city of churches. She
carefully closes the doors of her libraries and
museums on sunday. Yesterday, on her base
ball grounds. the Brooklyn club played a long
match game with the Athletic club which was
stopped at the end of the eighth innings-by the
police? Bless you, no, by the dark ness
And yet, Tor all that anybody knows to the
contrary, there are in Brooklyn some intelligent
men and women who have TO work so hard dur
iny the rest Of the week that Sunday is the only
day on which they can read or look at works of
art. AMI who either do not feel great deal of in
tercst in base ball or i'll afford the quarter of
dollar required for admission to the grounds
1t really seems As If Brooklyn might do some
thing for the amusement OF this class as well
OF the other
Would 1t not be worth while for laborers and