Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1888-01-14
WILL CHANGE THEIR TUNE.

The Philadelphia 4 Reading Directors
prefer the ostrich-liks policy Of ~ignsrina
the existence OF the strike now tying up
their road to accepting Q sensible sugsss.
ton and requesting George W. Childs to ar.
bitrate between the road and it, dissatis.
fed employees. Probably thsy thought.
with net earnings of about twelve millions
on last years business, they could stand it
longer than the employees. Perhaps they
can. and yet what do they lose by their
present fatuous policy? The last pound
of coal has gone over the road that can
come from the anthl acite regions until
more is mined there. The mines are now
shut only to BE- opened when certain de.
mands are acceded to. The usual amount
Of Goa; daily carried to market over the
Reading is from five to six thousand tons.
The cars chat carried this and the engines
that drew it are lying idle. They are val.
liable PROPERTY, easily destroyed. Should
the strikers become desperate, the compa-
ny's property is endangered and they may
lose heavily. True, they may recover loss
from the municipality where it occurs
should any violence he committed in towns
along the line OF road. But that
is q DOR consolation to look forward to.
Then again a coal famine will set in for
which the Reading Company will receive
blame from the public which is always
ready to believe the worst OF. q corpora
ton. In addition, it is mourning the hos
tility of the most powerful labor ~organiza-
ton the world ever saw. That order can
influence IN extensive circle OF symp .thizers
and with their opposition actively invoked
the road will be a greater loser thar it
would be willing to admit. How much bet
ter to have accepted Mr.. Lockwood's sug.
~gestion at the meeting. and, by inducing
Mr.. Childs to act as mediator, show the
people that the road, however much to
blame for bringing OF the strike. was will
ing to listen to reason. Because it would
be money in the Reading Company's treas
ury in the end. Should Mr.. Childs under
take such q duty, the road might be per-
fectly confident that his conclusion would
be the most equitable on tho subject in
controversy that human intelligence could
reach. Mr.. Childs is q friend OF
the laboring man, but at the same time
a man whom no consideration OF
earthly benefit could sway a hairs breadth
from the right track. The refusal of the
company to ascept such an arbitrator-to
even seriously entertain the suggestion
shows the road utterly Indifferent to the
claims OF labor. Thousands of men are
idle, but their families may starve for oil
the Philadelphia & Reading directory care
for their grievances. Their officers have
told tie directory that the men have no
grievance. and shat il enough. In tho con.
test so calmly entered upon BY the com
pany, there has SO far been no violence and
for the sake Of tho reputation Of the order
committed to it's sustenanee it 10 earnestly
to behoped there will not be any attempted.
No matter how loftily indifferent the con
pany may try to appear now, they eann OF
afford to continue so indefinitely. Con.
tracts have to be fulfilled, and though tho
directory refused to ask Mr.. Chills to arbi-
trate the officers OF the road will not want
the present inactiol to continue and will
have to descend from their perch and treat
with their men on a proper level.