New-York tribune., 1894-07-01
TUE GENESIS or STRIKES.


The epidemic Of strikes which afilicts the
country Is neither causclcss nor unaccountable
That its cause has been correctly stated Is the
natural conclusion from the fact that precisely
surh q general contest between employers and
employed was predicted before the election or
1872 as one consequence Of radical chang"
of National policy which would compel labor L"
choose between lower wages and want Of work.
The radical change Of policy was chosen 10y me
peoplc and the apprehension of It closed thon
sands Of mills and shops and mines. and threw
multtudcs Of persons out of employment
EMPLOYERS have been forced to choose between
4 stoppage Of work and a reduction of wages.
Either seems hard and cruel To those who never
permit themselves To consider that industry can
not continue nj a loss Mr.. Pullman tried 10
run aS long rs he could. even taking contracts
at loss In order 10 secure them because there
was not enough work for all. His decision
merely closed up other establishments ana
threw other hands ont of employment inSi'ah
Of his own. Finally he proposed reduction 81
wages AMI the men preferred suppaE" nf IN"
works The other great strike which has nara
" ended yet resulted from the contrary policy
The coal miners who chose lower wages rather
than no work. as soon as business seemed 10
have Il chance Of rcviving on The basis Of lower
wages and prices. demanded Il return to III"
wages Of the most prosperous days Some
operators could not pay such wages and run ~
all and in order 10 cocrc" them th" miners or
ganzatlon forced other miners to stop who were
receiving what tlcy asked.
Al all points The root ~ difference * that
the conditions of business made II no longer
possible 10 employ aS many hands or Ia pay aS
high wages rs in 1872 This state Of things
forced employers 10 compete against each other.
even down 10 The point of production at loss.
I'm order to get part of HE business that was
mot suficicnf for all Hut because II was not
enough for al some works had to stop throwing
many hands ont Of employment, and tho~" com
pctcl with other hands hy seeking such work
or such wages ~ they could gel These mr." not
result, Of arbitrary ill-naturc on IN" pnri ~
competing employers or competing men. y"
power that exists no power that can be con
coivcd could avoid them We're Mr. Bcllamy
sole sovereign Of the world with power TO or
ganizc all he industries ~ all lands. he could
never force the world II consumers 10 buy ~
much of given produ" one year nS another "r
10 pay the sam" price. and therefore cnuli never
employ I'm times - restricted consumption al
the hands needed 10 supply thc consumption IN
times Of prosperity. nor pay thc sam" wages.
SoclalSlc theories can neither PM quart ~
water into q pint cup nor eliminate human
nature from human beings
II the tidal cbb and low ~ consumption AMI
~ Industry are unavoidable and unconirollahl".
It X ~ least possible 10 avoid many ~ th" ch"f
causes Of DEPRESSION and 10 Tighten their effects
by ready adjustment ~ wage. io changing con
dltlons The main cause ~ prpstrnton I'm iSr'
could have been avoided 10y Intelligent votes In
1852 votes for maintenance 81 thc policy under
which the highest prosperity had hrrn attained
The worst Effects of the prosiratlon. The strikes
and riots and lawlcssncss Of 1884 can bc avoid
..I only by frank recognition of The fact that
the Nation cannot prepare 10 purrhas" from for
cIgn markets goods costing lnauy hundred mil
IONS yearly which have been mad" by worker
AT home without throwing mulilmdcs out ~
employment and depressing the seal" - wag's
maid Violent resistance - The downward ten
dcncy can only incrcas" thr depression and m"
cons.uucnf loss IN part because miners w"r"
idle and conl unnaluraly dear III April and
MAY. railroads could not lease more sleeping
cara. and trav" for business or pl'asur" was
diminished and 50 the Pullman works were
uusbcd 10 n longdcfcrr,d reduction ~ wages ~
thn alternative " q closing ~ shops Strikes
breed strikes as every wanion waste - 'hr
productive force breeds dccrr1s" IN consumption
and thus renders inevitable further decrease in
production II Is u pity that men who's" llN"H
hood depends on labor de- not ihlhk ~ these
THINGS rnor,, and II the warlikc counS,ls ~ or
ponlzcrs somcwhli less But II Is Il greater pity
thni the workingm"n Of this country did moi 500
in 1872 that a vote for change when the high
est prosperity existed was voi" io TAX" me
bread from their own mouths.