Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-07-18
LABOR DISTURBANCES
And Their Effect on the Business
Interests of the Country.
MATTHEW MARSHALL'S OPINION
Of the Defeat of the Free Silver Craze Be-
fore 1t Reached
THE BARE POSSIBILITY OF A VETO

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPATcHl
New YORK, July 1.-THE Labor Dis.
turbances" is the title of Matthew Mar
Bhall's article for to-morrow's S,a- 1t
reads as follows:
The most favorable financial incident OF
the week has unquestionably been the de-
feat in the House of Representatives Of the
Senate free coinage bill. 1t is true that even
If the bill had passed the House it would
probably have been vetoed by the Presi-
dent; but this was not so reasonably certain
as to expel all anxiety on the subject Po-
Htical action is so often determined by
purely political motives regardless OF
craftsmanship and patriotism, that the Presi-
dent might possibly have been induced to
approve the bill, even though he was con-
WINGED of its mischevous character. That
he has been spared the necessity of defining
his position in regard to it is due to the 60
Republican members of the House who
voted against it, and not to the Democratic
maj ority.
Everybody In this section OF the country
is too glad, however that the danger of free
silver Is averted Tor the remaining life OF
this Congress, to inquire closely how the re-
suit was reached. Followed, as it has been,
by Mr.. Sherman's bill to repeal so much of
the act of July a. 1890 as compels the issu-
ing of legal tender notes against monthly
purchases of 4, 500 600 ounces of silver, it fur
ni>hes ground for hoping that we have seeh
the worst OF the silver craze, and that we
shall be spared the humiliation of q national
suspension of gold payments.
Drifting Too Close for Comfort
How close we are drifting to such sus-
pension under the operation of this act is
apparent from the fact that some of the
leading banks of this city are already refus-
ing to part with their gold in large amounts.
The refusal is defended on the ground of pa
triotism, but this is an unnecessary subter-
suge. The banks hold on to their gold for
the very plain reason that gold is worth GER
talnly as much as legal tender paper, and
may very soon be worth more. Since paper
Is all that the banks are bound by contract
TO pay their depostors, they very properly
offer them paper and keep their gold.
Upon the Governments falls the burden of
deciding whether gold payments shall be
maintained or suspended. They may be
maintained TOR awhile longer. but only
speedy repeal of the act of July, 1890. as
proposed by sherman. will prevent their
beng suspended, in my opinion. in a very lew
months This is the peril which now threat
ems us and the dread OF 1t more than coun-
tel2cts for the moment the good effect of
tne defeat OF the free silver bill.
Clouds the Financial Sky.
The financial sky also continues to be
clouded by the disturbances at Homestead,
Pa, which spoke of last Monday as having
given occasion for the widespread utter
ance OF sentiments hostile to the owners of
capital invested in manufacturing enter
prises and by others which have followed
them, more violent and yet equally success
ful in finding defenders.
AT CGur dAlene, in Idaho, a disagree
nent between the miners and the mine
owners has resulted in numerous murders
and in preparations, happily not carried
out, for the wholesale destruction by dyna-
mite OF the mines and auxiliary works.
Only the arrival OF United States troops has
averted further mischief and partially re-
stored order At Homestead the State
n'lltla is on the ground in force sufficient to
preserve the peace, but the condition OF
affairs is far from being pleasant Here in
TINS city the cabinet ma kers' strike and the
granite PAYERS strike have come quickly to
IN progress and threatens to involve q num-
Der of the old building trades.
Sympathy From the Pulpit |
In other parts of the country, too, strikes |
have occurred, which, though not important |
in themselves, are yet indicative of dissatis-
faction and ominous of further trouble. To
the politicians and professional agitators
who have acted as the spokesmen of public
sympathy with the striking workmen the
clergy have joined themselves, and the talk
OF some of them is to me amazing, both for
the perversion of facts which it embodies, |
and tor its disregard of sound moral princi- |
pie These reverend gentlemen evidently |
have no respect for the old Mosaic precept,
Thou shalt not countenance-or, as the |
revised version has it, favor-the poor man |
in this cause" and seeing merely poor men |
on one side of the dispute and rich men on |
the other, jump to the conclusion that the |
poor are to be upheld at any cost of truth |
and logic and the rich men condemned.
The controversy at Homestead seems now |
to have narrowed itself down to that OF the |
recognition or non-recognition OF the or |
ganization into which the former workmeD |
in the mill had formed themselves and as a
consequence, to that OF the ability of the |
manager of the mill to obtain enough men |
not belonging to any labor organization to |
carry on its operations. |
The Unions Against Non-Uniouists.
In other words, there is to be test of the |
comparative numbers of union and non |
union men in that branch of industry. Both |
sides are confident of success, and the i'm /
portance of the result as affecting future |
disputes is fully estimated by both.
The union and organization of working
men Tor mutual protection and mutual bene-
fit is too clearly in the line of progress of |
modern civilization even to be abolished. 1t /
is part of the tendency to aggregation
which has made society what 1t is, and /
which has recently shown itself conspicu-
ously in the consolidation of railroad cor
porations and in the combinations OF capi-
talists usually known as trusts. To insist
that workingmen seeking employment shall
act only as individuals, while the employers
are compactly united in corporations and
trusts, is unreasonable.
On the other hand employers and society |
in general have many well-grounded com
plants to make against the capricious and
Ivrannical way in which workingmen's |
unions are often managed, and they have |
especial reason for resisting their presension |
TO uonopolize the industry of the country |
and 10 exclude non-union laborers from par |
ticipation in it. Not only do they apply to
their non-union competitors opprobrious |
epithets, such as 'scabs," rats" "black-
sneep" "foul" workers, and the like, but |
they do them bodily harm, as they have done |
at the CRur d'Alene mines and as they |
threatened to do and would have dons at
Homestead, had they not been restrained by |
the military.
Seeking Impossibility. |
This is the weak point of the labor unions,
and until it is mended they cannot hope for
complete success. So far, too, as they aim
at so adjusting the supply of labor to the
demand for it that there shall never be any |
reduction OF wages and never any laborer |
without employment they are seeking to |
accomplish an impossibility.
There has never yet been time in the his |
tory of the world when trade was uniformly |
prosperous, and when there was work for
every man without exception. Our country |
has been wonderfully favored in this re- |
spect, but we have no right to expect that |
its prosperity shall be uninterrupted. To
the natural increase of our population we |
have added yearly halr a million OF immi- |
grants from foreign countries, and they have |
all, thus far, iounu enough to do to keep |
them at least from dying of starvation. In |
view Of this great fact we can afford to be
patient with occasional disturbances like
those which now occupy public attention, |
and await, without anxiety, their natural
and peaceful settlement.
Great Increase of Immigration.
WASHINGTON, July 1.-THE Chief of
ha Ir,,.n s-.. |