San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-05-23
THE MAY-pAY MOVEMENT.

echo of that conflict altogether died
out of the ears of men. Some rumD-
ling and muttering and grumbling,
like that of receding thunder, is still
heard; and here and there the rattle
of musketry shows some diminishing
parties still disputiDg the field over
which the main army has passed.
Notwithstanding these reminders
the fray the industrial world Is
largely at peace. The time is not
inopportune for reviewing the battle
field and taking note of passing
events. The strikes, for whatever
cause inaugurated, were not attempt
ed to be enforced by violence, and
this fact alone marks a wide diver
gence between the methods of this
year and those Of former ones. In
England and on the continent, as well
as in America, the peaceable and
law abiding attitude of the strikers
was universally acknowledged and
approved. Even In the mining dis
tricts where ignorance and vicions-
ness are supposed to reign in unequal
ed degree, there was no mob violence,
no destruction of property, no at
tempted intimidation. This fact is
worthy of notice. 1t shows that the
workingman is recognizing the hope
lessness of securing his ends by
violence; also, and this much more
important, that wiser couIsels pre-
vail in working assemblies and that
the peaceable measures of petition and
remonstrace are more relied upon
from year to year. This is no doubt
IN large measure owing to the more
perfect organization of the working
mems guilds, assemblies, unions, or
what ever name they take. The
power of this organization is felt in re-
straining the individually lawlessand
violent from overt acts of indiscre-
ton and crime, and this restrain Oper-
ates benefically for the laboring class.
1t teaches self restraint and cOnsid-
Grafton of the rights of others, which
bring the working men cOntending
for higher wages, shorter hours of
toll, or whatever else it may be, into
a more favorable light and creates
public sympathy with his demands,
which is of the first importance to
! him. This result came almost imme-
diateIy in England. The assembly of
! half-a-millon OF underpaid working
men in one place without an act Of
violence, or single breach of the peace,
gained for them an instant hearing in
the highest public assembly of the
! land, the house of lords. The COM
mittee of the lords has already under
taken good measures to bring before
the house of commons and her majes-
tv the evils from which East London
workers suffer 50 much and see what
steps can be taken to prevent the en-
crOachments of avarice and mhuman.
ity upon the wages and service hours
of the poor working people. In
Germany there was a very quiet
movement, none the less determined
for being quiet, and all the more
quiet because the emperor had sc
openly and plainly and wisely shown
his sympathy with his working sub
iects. In America the COunsels OF the
governing boards of the working
, mems unions had pronounced agains
all attempts at coercion. The plaI
, was laid out for one large guild o
| trades union to make the demand
for the shorter time desired and le
= the rest quietly bide their time unit
| the issue in this particular case wa
decided. In all cases where this ad
vice was followed good to the work
I ingmen was the result. The agita
I ton IS going on in legislatures, an
by the press, and in the pulpit and
peaceable solution of the whole mat
ter in the way sought by the work
: ingmen is as certain to come as tn
9 future days will come. By the peace
able measures of remonstrance, b
, legislation, and by legal arbltratiO
- at last, the differences ketween labc
and those who employ it will be sa
:, isfactorily adjusted.
WHEN the country press of TeXa
! can advance no sOunder argumeI