Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-04-05
7aig gress aaa 9akotaiaa
A RESULT OF THE STRIKE.
The order OF milwaukee, Company
Esnr "A Relaxation nR IErnanans

EHHnHE
The Order or II Milwaukee Company
For a Reduction or Expenses.
st. Paul Pioneer Press: The reduc.
ton of working force ordered by the
Milwaukee s. ut. Psnl is one of those
tangible effects of the strike which tell
directly upon strikers themselves. For
weeke, now, the railroad business of the
entire west has been deranged and cut
down by interruptions to traffic. The
loss of the Burlington in freight receipts
is heavy. Bot the policy OF the strikers,
which makes other roads partners in the
disagreement, eff sets their finances as
we'll. Business men, who Cannot deal
on an uncertainty, limit their trans-
actions to the lowest possible figure.
Shippers, to whom certainty and dis
patch are essential elements, cannot
afford to take the chances of having
their freight tied up for weeks or months
on q side track. When it is possible that
any hour Of the day may find any OF the
great railroads of the west unable to
move a pound OF freight, then only that
freight will be consigned to it in the
case OF which there il such urgency that
the risks must be taken. The effect is
to reduce railroad business to @ mini
mum.
The striking employees doubtless had
this result in mind. But. here, as in
their other arrangements, they did not
take into consideration the other side of
ths question. They imagined that the
losses which their policy should inhict
would fall 30 heavily upon railway bust
ness in general as to compel it's surren-
der. They were not sufficiently far
sighted to see that they would have to
pear their share of this loss. Just as this
strikers sacrifice their wages In order to
hurt their employers. Their policy is
now beginning to tell. It wonld be the
height of folly and OF business ;mpru-
dence for q railroad company to continue
or its pay rolls a large force OF idle men
Since the strike policy has affected all
the roads of the northwest, lessening
their operations and their receipts, there
is nothing Tor them to do but reduce
their expenses as far as possible. And SO
when q railroad guiitless of unfair con
duct to ITS employees is injured by q
threatened strike ON their part, the ball
ance OF misfortune ia preserved by the
injury to employ whilh follows o dis.
charge Of men. In no way possible can
labor a7oid bearing its share of the
losses that belong TO o strike policy. The
misfortune is that, by the rule which
Labor organizations themselves have
adopted and scted upon, the innocent
suffer along with the guilty.
There could be nothing more instruc.
tive than the appearance, at this NOM
emit, when there are strikes or rumors o.
strikes IN every Important system in The
west, OF q letter from Mr.. Powderly. con.
demning in his old vigorous way tx
strike policy from heginaing to end. Mr.
Powderly is SICK OF strikes. II any one
wants to know what they accomplish, be
asks them TO GO to the coal mining dis.
triots OF Pennsylvania, and look as the
starving ome and children and the
men out OF employment there. And YET
it is only o few weeks since there was {
strike on the Reading in full swing
under the auspices and with the sanction
and encouragement OF the organization
Of which MIR. Powderly ia the ofioia
head. At that time. Mr.. Arthur stood
uloof, and assured the public that th,
strike was ell wrong; q losing policy,
and a notion which the brotherhood o.
locomotive engineers had o%utgrown
Now it Is MIR. Arthur who countenancel
l u 6bEihoy MJE0 uAbhbbGOub UGJdub9 more
widespread than that on the Reading
while Mr.. Powderly improves the occa,
sion to read q lecture to labor. In seemi
incredible that workingmen should bt
SO long in learning the disastrous con
sequences of e~rtrusting to their leader
q power Of control over their individual
freedom OF action which no man ough,
to transfer to another, II he wishes Il
deserve the name or enjoy the blessings
of q freeman. These leaders see clearly
enough what is involved in o strike
When, however, it becomes a persona
Question with them they do not hesitat,
to deny their W words, and to use tn,
tremendous authority in them vested ii
the old, mistaken way. The fight OF
the railroads Is not for right or justice
hut for power. Between the Burlington
and it's employees there is q question o
business dealing. Whenever a man ha
struck or. any other road. the purpos
of his strike, conceal it as VT may is t,
ESTABLISH the right OF employees 10 man
age the business of their employers
That they cannot make trial of thi
without bearing their share OF suffering
and loss is one OF the lessons that the,
will learn from the reductions Of work
ing force and the scaling down OF wage
which the business paralysis following
the strike will force, not upon one COZ
marathon hut unan all