Los Angeles herald., 1890-08-28
SOMETHING ABOUT STRIKES.

OF late years economic questions have
largely engaged the attention of man
kind. No phase of such problems has
approached in interest that OF strikes.
The relations of employer and employee
have-been discussed with an amplitude
and clearness during the past ten years
that ought to have cleared the subject
of much of its ambiguity, but we doubt
whether discussion has much simplifed
the matter. Ii the ordinary American
we've asked 10 give his real views on this
much mooted subject he would probably
say that some strikes were defensible,
while others were not, and he would
also deprecate strikes in general because
OF the individual distress and positive
Inconvenience resulting therefrom, and
ON the general ground that development
was arrested and wealth consumed and
destroyed instead OF being created.
With thoughtful people strike is in
daily life what a revolution is in the
evolution OF universal history. Both
are drastic remedies, nearly as bad as
any possible existing evil, and they
should only be resorted to in order to
redress intolerable grievances.
That the relations of capital and labor
are liable to be strained at any time we
see only too many evidences of daily.
The causes for these disturbances are
simply innumerable. They may result
from the greed of the employer, who is
desirous of usurping to himself all the
profits arising from his business, and
who, in order to get the largest possible
returns, is willing to grind the face OF
his employees. Not to strike under such
essential rights Of labor. In such cases
the sympathies of the community are
with the strikers, especially if there is
no violence to counteract this natural
bent of the public mind. Such strikes
generally win, though even in meritor-
ious movements of the kind it is highly
expedient that the cause of the wage
earners should be in prudent and exper-
fenced hands, in order that the mini
mum of damage should be inflicted on
the community at large, and that an
adjustment should be reached at the
earliest practicable moment. We
should add that it is also eXpedient that
labor should be represented by cool
heads in order that the temptation to
reprisals, which result in evils as great
as sought to be redressed, should be
avoided.
1t must not, however, in considering g
this matter, be forgotten that employees
banded together in unions are often
apt to be even more unreasonable and
tyrannical than an Unfair employer.
The latter, in attempting exactions, has
at least the excuse that his brains and
means are embarked in a business OF
which he has to take all the chances,
and whose results are proverbially un-
certain. If he should go into bank
ruptcy he leaves the man to whom he
has paid wages in full possession of his
strength, skill and manhood; and, ii
the employee has been proyident with
all the savings of his industry, in the
wreck of the business in which the la
borer, skilled or unskilled, has been
employed, that individual can only, in
any event, suffer from temporary loss
of his employment. He is free to come
and go as he lists.
Some years ago there was strike in
the iron trade OF New York. At that
time Mayor Hewitt was heavily engaged
in the iron business, and he called his
employees together and explained to
them the exact state of his affairs, show
ing that he was losing money heavily.
Fortunately for Mr.. Hewitt, he was so
enormously rich outside of this special
interest of his, and his credit was so
high, that he could afford to make such
an admission. AS his employees were
willing to concede nothing, Mr.. Hewitt
made the square proposition to turn over
all his mills to them for period of five
years, to be run by the strikers, who
were asked to guarantee four per cent. on
the plant, it's value to be ascertained by
arbitration, with guarantee that they
should be returned to him in as good
condition as when turned over, wear and