The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-30
NATTER FOB THOUGHT.


1t is new interest which has been given
to the contest between labor and capital by
the action which the New York Central
has taken in regard to its old employees.
More than three thousand Of its men went
out on strike two months ago. A good
many of these were opposed to the strike,
and protested against it. but they were
oVerruled, and the leaders of the labor
organization of which they were members
ordering them to quit work, ali obeyed.
The road was tied up for little while, but
new men came along and as fast as they
could be trained they were put into the
places of the strikers, and by the time the
strike was declared off the company was
fairly well supplied with hands and the
road was operated about as well as before.
The strike was failure, and one of the
worst failures that had ever occurred.
When it was seen that it could not
succeed, and many Of the men
were openly finding fault over
having been ordered out, the leaders de-
clared the strike off and gave the men per
mission to return to work. There was
rush for their old places, but to their aston
ishment and discontinue the men were
told that there was no room Tor them, the
positions at the disposal of the company
being all full. They asked if the refusal to
take them back was because they had
struck, and were frankly told that it was.
and that no man who had struck need apply
for employment, as none would be given
him.
Vice-President WEBB, who made the
fight with the workingmen's organization,
was recently interviewed on the subject.
when he declared that while his company
would make no war upon labor union, and
would not ask men whether or not they
were Knights of Labor or members of a
union, they would not take back in their
employ, if they knew it. any man who had
struck. He said that for six weeks their
old employees had been doing all
in their power to destroy the company's
property and ruin its businass, and if they
had not succeeded it was through no fault
of theirs. tt would be suicidal to restore
these men to their places and give them the
power to again distress the company; to do
this would also be gross injustice to the
men who had gone to the company's relief
when it was in trouble. If the Central
were to be guilty of such ingratitude, with
what grace, he asked, could it appeal to
laboring men for help when trouble came?
We believe this is the first time where a
great employer has adopted the hitting back
policy. 1t has been done on q small scale.
but we do not recall an instance where
5000 men have been told that striking had
deprived them of the hope of getting en-
ployment No other concern has been in a
position to tell this to its men. Doubt
less those 5000 men thought
when they went out they would
be back in their places in a few DAYS at
most; that if they were not victors they
could at least submit to the company, CON
less their defeat, and return to their posi-
lions. Their surprise must be equal to
their chagrin. Especially will those who
were opposed to the strike. and pleaded for
permission to continue at work, be an
noyed to find themselves not only out of
employment but in asense black-listed.
We are predicting that the policy of
striking back will be tried by other en-
ployers, now that the New York Central
has been successful with it. and while it
would be cruel and wicked thing to do
there is a probability that there will be
combinations of employers to retaliate
upon men who strike.
Whatever may be the effect of the
Centraps effort in other respects, it should
cause workingmen, and especially the
leaders, to be more careful, more cautions
and more thoughtful. They should
think more of the consequences
of striking, taking into account
probable failure as well as PROBABLE
success. If they will do this and viii per-
NIT themselves to know that not only viii
they not earn anything during the strike.
but they may be forever deprived of earn
ing anything in that neighborhood, they
will be slower to go out, and the leaders
Will not be so eager to order strikes. If
those VINO ordered theCentral strike Thought
that such an outcome as has resulted was
possible, they should have been Iynched
for we can conceive of few crimes that
would be worse than the deprivation of
those thousands OF men Of the privilege of
earning bread for themselves and their
wives and children.
If the course pursued by the Central
shall teach poor working men-who usder
the very best conditions that they can ex-
8 pect VIII be more or less AZ the mercy of
more or less oppressive capitalize exercise
greater care than some of them have been
doing in the selection of leaders. and to
give their sober second thought chance.
1t will result beneficiaily for the toilers.
for it will teach them to not strike except
Their cause is just and there is reason
able Likelihood of winning, or unless there
shau be open to them opportunities to earn
wages IN the event of the failure of the
strike.
THE SPEAKERS RULE.
l.,t;.,