New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-31
THE FREEDOM OF LABOR.

II is oyerStrained and unreasonable TO say
that the street railroad companies would sur
render their franchises into the control OF an
irresponsible body, and prove false to the rights
of their stockholders, if they should come to
any agreement with the officers of the labor Or
panization. If what the men demand is rea-
sonable, they have a right to appoint COM
mittee to represent them, and the appointment
of such committee is not an excuse for re-
fuSing TO grant the reasonable demand. AS to
the organization, also, it may be, and THE
TRIBUNE believes that it is, exceedingly in
furious to the interests of the employees, and
emnently calculated to prevent the attainment
of the most favorable terms in the relations
with the companies But the workers have the
right to organize, and unless the organization
makes unreasonable demands, public opinion
will not sustain the companies in refusing to
consider demands made for the men by such q
body.
II is a far more serious objection that the
organization does not yet manifest disposition
TO concede the freedom or the rights of those
who are not its members. The instant any
organization disregards the rights of other
workers, or tries to deprive them OF their
natural freedom, it becomes an enemy OF all
free labor and of public order. The instances
of violence and intimidation which have thus
far occurred are, as usual, declared to be with
out the sanction or instgation of the labor
leaders. But if that is true, the men who re-
sort to such acts should be at once disayowed
and by the influence of the organization eff
fectively restrained. The public, on the con-
trary, finds in the conduct Of some Of the
strikers much that prompts the belief that in
this strike as in so many which have pre-
coded, it is the deliberate intention to employ
tyranny instead of persuasion, in dealing with
any who may be willing to take the places
vacated.
The employees are apt to anSwer that they
cannot hope to succeed in their strike II the
thousands who are out Of work in great city
are left entirely free to take places which the
strikers regard as their own. But if that is
true if the demands made by the strikers are
such that they would certainly be defeated, but
for intimidation or crime, by the willingness
of other men to accept the terms which the
strikers refuse to accept, then their whole case
is gone, and the strike itself is clearly unjust.
The places to be filed belong not one whit
more to the men who have voluntarily left
them than 10 any otner unemployed men IN INC
city who may need work for the support Of
their families or themselves. Justice and the
public welfare both require that the unem-
ployed sheuld be free to accept or decline the
work and the terms proposed by the companies.
Sympathy for the strikers. If they deny free
dom to other men, would be simply sympathy
with despotism which cannot be tolerated
| In free country.
Thus it comes 30 be the main question
whether the strikers do In fact deny, or respect
and defend, the freedom Of others to work II
they wish. After all, that is the touchstone.
No organization can pretend to regard or pro-
mote the rights of labor II it practically stamps
out freedom Of labor. The past history Of the
organization which now represents workers
has not been such as to entitle IL to the highest
confidence, but it is claimed that such organ
izations are shifting in character and leader
ship, and consequently in practices and meth
DDS, and must therefore be judged by what
they are now doing. Be it so; the conduct Of
the men themselves must after all decide tho
question whether they are friends or enemies
Of free labor and therefore Of civilized society.