The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-04-21
A CARDINAL POINT.


The literature of the strike increases from
day TO day. Reading the letters of Messrs
Powderly and Gould by the light thrown on
the subject by the report of the interview be-
tween Mr.. Powderly's committee and Mr.
Gould, on March so, it would appear that
both were actuated in continuing the con.
fict until some law is enacted defining the
powers and responsibilities of labor and cap
ital corporations in their relations to each
other, so that neither shall be wantonly dis
turbed, nor public business interrupted with
strikes upon real or fancied grievances upon
the part of the men, or by real or fancied
grievances held by railway corporation
against the men. But whether all this dip
lomatic correspondence Is intentional toward
achieving this result or otherwise, events
have brought this result to the surface, as
the one pIimarially occupying public atten-
ton, and condition most necessary to be
solved.
Speculation upon the ultimate causes and
effects involved in the present agitation is of
no profit. The country has the monopoly of
capital and the monopoly Of labor, repre-
senting two pretty thorough unities, and
there is no practicable way of removing
either, although we have multitude OF en-
pirical remedies proposed, through which the
country may be relieved of both. There is
no way whatever of the country Kidding it.
self of the railroad or other powerful corpor-
atoms, except by their absorption by gov
eminent, and this is altogether impractical
bic. There is no way whatever of the coun-
try Kidding itself of powerful labor organiza-
tions except by war of determination,
which, If tried. would leave the result in some
doubt as to where the determination would
end; this idea is also totally impracticable.
There is danger to the country in both. as
they are arranged at present, wherein few
men of either may plunge the country into
distress by an act tantamount to war. This
danger makes it imperative that their rela-
tons shall be established by lawin some way
thatSwhere differences occur they can be
settled through arbitration and through
courts, which, while they may not possibly
regulate every issue, would reduce the
troubles to minimum. In these postulates
Mr.. Powderly and Mr.. Gould both agree.
1t may be objected that this would require
legal expression that would compel an in
dividual to work whether he wanted to or
not But we doubt if the objection be relle-
want, because it would be overcome by the
contract, or agreement, that the railroad and
labor organizations might make, and when
a union or a railroad company actually agree
upon, SAY a scale of prices for year, or
more, and upon certain other regulations
mutually necessary, it can not be objected
as interference with individual rights if the
law compel all the parties to it to stand by
it. 1t is precisely what holds already and
always has held between individuals, and
| it only needs that labor Unions be held pre-
cise,y in the same view that individuals
and legal corporations are now held, to
labor union and corporation,
or as between a corporation and one of its
contractors, in fact render the union able to
make a contract, and legally responsible.
One OF the weaknesses of the present sys-
tenn OF regarding the employment Of labor as
q matter separate and solely with individual
laboring men, is the poverty of the indi-
1
in case of default upon his contract or agree
ment. He can not be held to it because he
knows he is not responsible. and no suit
would extort as damages what could not be
levied on because it did not exist. An Or
ganization, as for instance the Knights OF
Labor, were it legally empowered to furnish
certain kind OF labor for Mr.. Gould for a
| given time, and like every other contractor,
were it required to give oond for the faithful
performance of its contract, precisely as
would be required of any other contractor
the whole question Of relation between
large railroad corporations and large labor
organizations, that only require Legal
recognition to also become corporations
would be solved 1t would simply be ex
tending the principle of responsibility fol
acts committed 80 - to include the poores,
citizen, instead Of leaving him outside thu