Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-11-24
A State Board of Arbitration.

ohc oi tue ltfpieNiiS uutStiohS
which will present itself to the Legis
lature will be that growing out Of diff
ferences between capital and labor.
While the constitution does not pro-
vide for the appointment of COM
mission or board to adjust those diff
ferences, it does not prohibit it. There
can be no question as to the fact that
in case of damage resulting from
strikes. the State is held responsible.
and il the State has the power to call
upon the militia to maintain the
peace, it possesses the higher power
to avoid or prevent outbreaks incident
to strikes by preventing strikes,
Corporations are creatures of the
State They are amenable to and can
be perpetuated or dissolved by the
State. They are simply aggre-
cations of capital--pooling of interests
for the purpose of transacting bus
mess. Each individual member is
held responsible for the amount of his
interest or stock in the corporation
and no further. In other words cor
poration is combining OF capital a
community of interests, banding to-
gether of those possessing money for
mutual protection and the advantages
to be derived by united effort.
Labor is the capital Of the working
man. He sells it to the highest and
best bidder as a means of gaining a
livelihood. Labor unions are COM
binations for the protection and bet
terment of that capital Both have
the same object in view-the protec-
ton of the various units of which they
are composed.
AS a rule they are antagonistic.
Each is constantly striving to get the
better of the other and one of the log
ical results of such a condition of af-
fairs is declarati on of war by one or
the other, OF course there are excep-
tons, but they only prove the rule.
That such a condition should exist is
unnatural. The two should walk
hand in hand, each seeking the well
fare Of the other, but they do not do so.
The question therefore naturally arises,
Can it be avoided ? The philanthro-
pist and moralist would advise both to
be governed by the Golden Rule,
would point to it as the remedy. Ex-
perience teaches that the time has not
arrived when this remedy can be ap.
piled. Some other method must be
devised. Ifthe State must ultimately
adjust the troubles why rot give
it an opportunity at the incipiency
rather than at the elimination of a
disagreement?
Let State board of arbitration be
created to whom all differences must
be referred. Let it be the court Of
first and, if possible, of final resort.
Make it in the highest sense court
of equity. Let its mandates be
obeyed implicitly. Let contempt OF
violations of its decisions be felonly OF
an infamous character.
Organized on this basis, troubles
between capital and labor would soon
come to be adjusted by the parties di-
rectly interested. The Walking Gel
egate would be obliged to work or
starve and both elements of national
strength would regard each other diff
/ ferently from what they do now; they
won d bury their animosities, labor
for their mutual interests, the one less
greedy the other not so exacting, and
peace, prosperity, and contentment
would take the place of strife and coli
tention. The subject is worthy the
earnest attention of our legislators.