The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-07-12
It's FaIIacy Demonstrated.

Its FaIlacY Demonstrated.
The developments Of the last two
days have re-emphasized the need Of
greater common sense and less bluster
in the councils of organized labor.
The spectacle presented by disinterest-
ed trades unions in their desertion of
work all over the land because one set
OF employees and employers cannot
agree in Pullman, ILL.,, would be sim
ply ludicrous in its preposterousuess
were it not at the same time SO
very serious in its practical con-
sequences. What individual brick
layer IN Scranton. for instance.
would be so Shortsighted as to throw
up his job here for no other reason
than because another bricklayer out
in Chicago WASH; satisfied and re.
fused longer to remain in the employ
ment OF distasseful boss? What
good would the Scranton man ez-
pect to 10 to the Chicago man, by
doubling the misery Of the two families
and multiplying the mutual loss in
wages? How would the one be beue-
fitted by such action on the part of the
other2 How could either profit by it?
Would it not simply clus. two men TO
be idle and two families to suffer want
and deprivation when there was no
necessity for more than oae, if there
was for even that one, thus to suffer?
We venture to say that if any single
mechanic in Northeastern Psnnsylva-
niawere solicited by some distant NAL
content to sacrifice a good job at fair
wages for the preposterous reason that
the man who solicited him to strike,
aud who WAS an entire stranger, could
not himself get alongwth his far west
ern employer, the reply would be
a prompt and emphatic negative
The Principle of the request,
In addition to heing notoriously absurd,
would be at the same time vicious,
since it would keep the welfare of the
whole country dependent upon the en-.
tire satisfaction of every individual la
borer in the country, There is no dif-
ference between the principle govern
ing the supposititious ease we have
just cited and the actual case pre-
sented in the Sovereign sympathy
strike, except that in the latter case the
numbers affected are greater and the
damage to society correspondingly
more serious
This point, it should be understood,
is wholly unaffected by the merits or
the injustices involved in the original
dispute. II Pullman was right in re
tuslng more wages, no amount of
wholesale striking will make that right
wrong. II wrong, the way to deal with
Pullman is not by abusing and injuring
every man. woman ami child in the
United States except Pullman. We
have said and we repeat that we think
Pullman made mistake in re-
fusing to submit a detailed state.
ment of his side Of the casa to a
fairly selected committee of inquiry
and arbitration. Why? Because if he'
had previously represented the facts
correctly it would not have hurt him
in the estimation Of the public to have
had that representation indorsed
by the public's representatives.: and if
he had previously misrepresented, it
would be due to the public that it
should know his duplicity and deal
with him accordingly. But this point
has no bearing upon, offers no excuse
for and is entirely distinct from the
ridiculous order for wholesale strike
among men who have no cause to strike
for, no grievances TO redress, no wage
increases 10 ask for and no reserve fund
sufficient to warrant them in prema-
turely joining the lelsured classes.