Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-13
PREVENTION OF STRIKES.

1 Congressman Getting Their Heads To
gefher to Look After Labor Matters
| Senators Voorhees, and Others Have Va
rious Schemes to Propose
rFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENCE
WASHINGTON, July Ex-senator Jones
Of Nevada, Chairman of the Committee or
Contingent Expenses of the Senate, tc
which committee the Homestead in
| vestigation resolution was referred
has not yet reported the resolu.
tion to the Senate. He has no explanation
to offer for his delay, except simply that
his committee is not yet ready to report,
and, at any rate, that nothing is lost by
delay, as there may yet occur something
that would be an interesting subject for in
quiry.
The most important reason, probably, is
that the Republicans will find it interesting
to watch keenly the drift of the investiga-
tion by the House Committee, wait until it
is closed before beginning their own, and
then pursue course which would enable
them to counteract anything of partisan
nature brought out by Mr.. Oates commit
tee, if anything of that character appeared.
Voorhees, on New Tack.
Violently and ridiculously partisan as
Senator Voorhees, was the other day, wnen
| speaking in regard to the Homestead
| tragedy, a resolution introduced by him to-
day may lead to important results. It
! provides that the Committee on Education
| and Labor shall inquire into the expediency
| of appointing Commission of Labor to as
sumo at least advisory, if no broader, juris-
diction in cases of dispute between en-
ployers and workmen, in sympathy with a
-
his message of April %. 1885,
Senators and members are talking of
many schemes of dealing with these ques-
tions, any one of which, if adopted, would
at least be educational in making the gen.
eral public familiar from official sources,
with the causes and effects of industrial dis
putes. Some suggest a department of
labor, with secretary of labor at its head,
which would certainly be as useful and i'm
portant and legitimate as the Department
of Agriculture.
Other Remedies That Are Proposed.
Others would be content with q commits
sion of labor, as suggested by Senator Voor-
hees, the business of which would be to in
quire into and attempt to adjust labor dis
putes Others favor q national board of
arbitration, clothed with such extraordinary
powers as to enable it to say almost dicta-
torially, after full inquiry, what shall be
the terms Of settlement between employer
and employed.
1t is assumed that the General Govern
ment could do this without any encroach-
ment upon the rights of individual States,
as no strike, however Insignificant, is so
limited in its effect as not to make itself
felt outside of the State in which it occurs.
In their effect all strikes are Interstate af-
fairs, as disturbing the whole country, in
other words, and may be fairly taken hold
of by the Federal Government
Of course, these schemes will be cried out
against by many, as purposing to interfere
with the freedom OF action OF employer and
employed, but most people will agree that
freedom of action which results in maim-
ing and murder, and threatens the destruc-
tion of towns and cities, is a freedom of
action that should be curtailed speedily and
completely.