The morning call., 1890-05-01
MAY DAY.

This is May day, and according to the
newspapers 1t promises to be a different
sort of May day from any which history
records. All over the world workingmen
propose to demonstrate in favor of shorter
hours of labor or more pay. or both. Labor
meetings have been called in nearly every
European capital, and most American cities
will sympathze by assemblages. speeches
and possibly in some instances by strikes.
A community of feeling is however the
only feature that will be common to the
European and the American demonstra-
tons In everything else the Yements
will differ. In Berlin the Emperor has for
hidden forty meetings of workingmen and
has maSsed troops to enforce his COM
mands. In Vienna street parades are for
hidden; the streets, squares and bridges
are occupied by soldiers equipped for war
arrests have already begun and all /. in
readiness for declaration of martial law
At Madrid and other Spanish towns the
troops are confined to their quarters, where
they are held in readiness to swoop down
on any tumultuous outbreak At Paris
number of arrests have already been made,
and the Government, while not absolutely
forbidding labor demonstrations, holds in
hand force sufficient TO maintain order.
In this country the chief seat of the
present agitation is at Chicago. But ex-
cepl that the militia have been hidden to
hold themselves in readiness to move if
they are needed no steps have been taken
by the authorities which indicate alarm or
even uneasiness. The Chief of Police is
confident of his ability to cope with any
disturbance which may occur. No arrests
have been made or even suggested. There
hoe aaF
nor Limitation set on the normal right of
- citizens to meet and discuss public ques-
tions. 1t is evidently the opinion of the
Illinois authorities that the peace is safe,
notwithstanding the strikes of working
men. Its believed that the close of this
day will prove that these expectations were
well founded.
In this country there is no wrong with
out legal and peaceful remedy, and SO
long as that is the case there is no proba-
bility that men will set themselves above
the law.
1t rarely happens that strike is attended
with acts that shock the public Conse-
quently the community at large takes a
reasonable view of controversies between
employers and their hands, and where the
latter are right public opinion lays on the
former stress which is difficult to resist
In Europe labor science has not been as
satisfactorily developed as it is here, mainly
because the presence Of standing armies has
afforded governments convenient method
of cutting the Gordian knot, and likewise
because popular ignorance has closed work
mems eyes to the folly of disorder. The
usual history of European strikes is simple
and uniform: workmen demand more pay,
tile demand is refused and the men strike,
often excuses are committed, troops are
called out, given number of the strikers
are shot, others are imprisoned for longer
or shorter terms, the disturbance is quelled,
work is resumed, and the strikers not only
gain nothing, but a number of the more
prominent lose their jobs and have to emil
CRATE 1t need hardly be observed that the
cause Of labor is difficult of adjustment in
Europe. If, to-day, workmen in Berlin,
Vienna, Madrid or Paris should break the
peace they will be crushed by the soldiery,
and, as to many Of them, the homes which
knew them will know them no more En-
ployers and governments will describe labor
agitation as socialism, and will insist on re-
pressive legislation. The mass of the peo-
pie will view the question from the stand
point of safety to property aud the main.
tenance of order, and between the upper
milestone of the Government and the neither
milestone of the burgess class the operative
will find himself uOrsa off tbap ayar