The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-01-19
They Do Not Pay.
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Il requires oniy iho Ehosi Of dead strikes
aud lockoats % BE- hrauEhi lrpm thsIr graves
% isFseutzbiy prove ;has ssither pay. that
both sre IS . Taie fstila weapons. especially
IN the hauas Of employees or eanp}uytss ~ha
arr thrice arusa ia hariHs their qsasseis Jns,
Thtsr ghosts have bsen brUaEht ffom thriF
graves Va The las; report 81 the Bafcsu q
Statistics. whieh srp made 10 iaclaac ies
strikes and iockouts occufTing ~ Shis ruausry
~ jhc several years truai ISL 70 lsss. In
that Fsried there wefr - 80 strikes. ia 10.
51s us ehtch che STRIKERS werv saecessi1l,
s9c 81 them wcfc sestled by eomproaaise. ani
$40 failed Absolaieiy Iaihsm al I.328. 21s
employees E,afliei 9sle4, iho1gh in The woTss 10
wbsch she strikes occurred there sere engaged
l. 6ss5 sg5 before iaey took place whep they
wcre enssa Ia the same works there ueFe eu
piuyea ooiy ss5. o51. of 80 - less than be
fore. Tbs actual sage losses 30 ike strikers
ansaaieA 20 S5t.si&.f29. sad % prohts.
earnings. &c-. Il employees, $50, 1ol $50.
TIE saalhtr 81 successful strikers was 3lS.6S3i
those who sere saceessisl oniy ia part auH-
bered llS, 016, aad shosc who wtolly failed,
go 300
The lock oats were maeh less numerous
and costly, hai they SAIL added largely 10 tie
aggregate losses % bosh cAps,Al AID .abor-
there wcru 22li Of tAem 10 ihe period cover.
Cd by the report The empisfers lOs, 81
s6a 81 SD the employees s.. i5g.1lt- The
latter Suffered the iarthcs loss q emps0ymeat
10 nearly 800 81 their uuabcs, sho weFe noi
gakea back The statistics DO not cover All
OF them. bat ia those Of which rrp0rt is made
The employers Wko ordered ihs lock outs ab.
solutely succeeded ia 568 eases n 100 thsy
Werc partially Successful, and IN 1889 failed
altogether. Tbs amoaut eonlTisated by the
diferenl labor organizations for the support
Of striking and locked oat employees daring
the years ineladed Amounted - si.i9Q,l95.
ID Wil. be seen that in both the strikes aud
lock oats labor Vas successful over capital IN
the majority Of instances, bat after iht mos;
made Of that in favor Of the working men
hey must thea consider Il 10 connection Sith
the absolute loss 10 themselves in wages OF
S5l. Sl4. - and Of the s., $50, 1875 contributed
for their support, and 70 tia, mast be added
the loss Of employment 20 nearly 5000 OF
their number. Hos many Of these latter be-
came permanent idlers, or trsmps, the Stats
tics unfortunately DO not state, bat the pre-.
sumption IS that the larger part OF them found
work in other establishments elsewhere.
To reclaim these $50, 600. eco Woald require
prolonged effort even il in every case The
strikes had been successful and the lock. outs
failed. In al39 instances we're the strikes
ordered 10 secnre an increase Of wages, and
Ia only 6229 was the increase conceded. Ii
it had been granted ia every case the slight
daily increase would probably have been
swallowed up By the total wages lost.
The employers Jared better than the EN-
ployes, bat their success was not such as 20
convince aayone that their lockout paid.
Apart from their direct losses, neither strikes
nor lock outs can be made profitable, as they
serve to create and maintain feeling Of an-
tagonism between capital and labor in place
of that feeling which should always be ami
cable, or friendly even. Both employers and
employees suffer when they are at variance,
and especially do they suffer when they wage
war upon each other Strikes and lock outs
beget angry passions, permanent discomfort,
indifference to the interests in hand. The
employers feel justified by the strikes to pay
as low wages as possible, and the employees to
give as little aud as bad work in return.
Lock. outs are the twin evil of strikes, and
policy OF compromise aud good will is likely
10 be more successful than either strike or
lock out ninety nine times out of hundred.