The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-07-21
ARBITRATION.
The end is at hand.

The deplorable affairs at Homes cad and
in north idaho again emphasize the neces-
sity for the adoption of some plan for the
adjustment Of disputes between employer
and employees. These disputes are occur
ring all the time. They arose in times as
early as any Of which we have records, and
have continued to the present. 1t is prob
ably true that they are mere frequent in
this age than ever before, due in some
countries TO improper legislation. in others
to the extreme poverty of the masses, and
TO the higher intelligence OF the toilers
which enables them to understand that
something is wrong when they arc kept in
poverty while their labor makes their en-
ployers fabulously rich.
But whatever the cause of the disputes
and troubles. better rules for their settle
ment should be devised than those now
employed. A better rule than that of force
should be brought into play. At
Homestead and at the Coenr d'Alenes
the men, In their desperation,
became lawless and degenerated into saw
ages, necessitating the calling out of troops
to restrain or shoot them down. The re-
sort to the military was legal and we say
the law must prevail; but the adjustment
settles nothing. 1t does not determine the
rights involved. The employment of the
army is simply resort to might. If the
strikers were more numerous or more
powerful than the soldiers, the adjustment
would be the other way, and then the
question Of right would not be determined.
In the light OF the centuries of legislation
intended to apply to these constantly
recurring disputes, and in the light of the
fact that very little real progress has
been made it may be doubted that any
adjustment is possible that will prevent
trouble between employer and employee.
This ought not to be the case with refer
ence TO the settlement Of the trouble bv
other means than the employment of
physical force on either side Arbitra-
ton, it seems to US. promises best: not the
arbitration which is permissive and to be
mutually agreed upon, but that which
is compulsory under the law. its
DEGREES to be enforced by the power of the
commonwealth, the same as other legal de-
crees are enforced. We are aware that some
would hold this to bs an abridgement OF the
rights Of the individual, but would the con-
cession be greater than the Individual
should make to the society, the common
wealth. which protects himg II Idaho had
had law which required the reference of
the dispute between the miners and the
mine-owners TO a disinterssted and non
partisan board Of arbitration, that board
having back of it the power and authority
Of the state to enforce obedience to Its de-
crees, we doubt that any strike would have
occurred. Or, if the men had been dissatis-
fiedwith the decision, they would never
have attempted TO bring about different
settlement by force: they would have gone
elsewhere Tor work. AS it is, much blood
has been shed, much private property has
been destroyed, and the state has been put
TO enormous expense, while the question at
issue is in no sense settled. The trouble is
liable to be repeated after the troops have
been withdrawn. 1t is likely that the
very men who are taking the places Of the
ill-advised strikers will in the course of
year or two bring up similar dispute. and
plunge into similar trouble. Nor is 1t un-
likely that the miners, taking advantage
OF the victery which the state has helped
them to win, will undertake TO work re-
venge on their own account
Whether or not statutory and compul-
sorry arbitration in cases Of labor disputes
would prove beneficial, it is certain that
something should be done for the proven
fion of these awful occurrences. and that
something should be along different lines
than those which have been followed. 1t
should contemplate the reaching OF an
equitable adjustment BY the employment Of
other weapons than Winchester rifles.