The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1893-01-07
THE LABOR QUESTION.
Arbitration from a Workingman's Point
of View.

1t is common sense to suppose that
where two men dispute, say on the
length of pine board, or the diameter
of wheel. they call in some man
with tape-line to find out the dimen-
sions and to decide the dispute; this is
a good old-fashioned and square footed
way of settling the whole matter.
This plain and practical sense is just
as handy and useful in a dispute
with our employers. But is it not a
fact with too many of us that we are
sticklers for one side of the argument,
and will neither consider nor examine
the other? 1t is just this one-eyed
kind OF business that makes us lop-
sided and cross-grained, and as trouble
some as blind mule or deaf dog. In
many cases we run ourselves into such
reprisals as strikes and boycotts, when
little sense and some fair investiga-
ton would have made such an action
as ridiculous as trying to stop a round
hole with square peg. We are not
talking now of justitiable strikes. nor
are we teaching the soft nonsense that
we are in duty bound to lie still and
be skinned alive, but only (and let us
here be clearly understood) of such
strikes as are hot-headed, blind, foolish
and downright iniquities. Take this
for example:
We draw up schedule of wages
fixed and unalterable. till officially
acted upon. In that tariff we place a
second-class man on the same footing
as we do the tirst-class. A can lay
l,OO0 bricks in a certain time; B. for
the life of him, cannot place over 500.
We insist on equal pay, though we
would kick nightly, on our own be-
half, at having to pay for dozen eggs
when we got but six. The contractor
cannot see that this demand is fair.
He has his contract to fill, his bread to
earn and his family to keep. just the
same as we have. He cannot afford
to pay for work that is not done, and
If he could, he would be unjust to
himself to do so. He objects to put
his head into the mouth of wolf, and
refuses to pay the wage as fixed on our
schedule. We lay trowels down and
quit work, and in nine cases out of ten
brace up on glass of lager, and 90
home to eat dinner which perhaps is
not yet paid for, and with very slim
prospect of having as much meat on
ourplate in months time. We hang
out; the single men pack up and 90
elsewhere, and the older ones look
around for stray jobs, being sometimes
glad to cut wood and shovel gravel;
the whole thing, simmered down to a
fine point, being just this, that we are
suffering what we need not nave suf-
fered if we had been as fair to another
man as he was willing to be to us.
Pray. gentlemen, what fun is there in
this business of getting into debt, run
ming to the pawnshop, and acceptiaga
weekly contribution from men who
have little enough for themselves?
What of comfort is there in seeing our
children losing the calves off their legs,
the flesh off their bones, wanting
school-books and soles on their shoes,
because their fathers are not heroes,
but pack of fools?
Strikes are common and they make
notorie:y and money for some. but we
know well enough that there is some
thing painful and tragical behind the
scenes They are wet with childrens
tears and rattle with bare bones, and
are resonant with regrets and curses.
Strike when striking is absolutely
necessary, if you will, but for the sake
OF common sense, a patch on your
coat, and potato for dinner never so
consent on wrong basis. or till the
whole system of Cancellation and ar
bitration has been exhausted To suf-
fer for what is right is manful and
sometimes necessary, but there is
neither glory nor buttermilk in break
ing stones for larceny on our neigh
bcr's payroll and rights. Fired Wood
roac, IN the Century.