New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-30
S1RIEES IND THEIR FRTIT.

Tho Testimony 81 Mr. GOmpcrs. the head OF
the Federation Of Labor before the COMMISSION
M Chicago. taught II doctrine when me WORK
,ncmen used 10 hold In years gone by, hui whi'h
experience has compelled them generally 70 q"'S'
,iop IL. reasoned that strikes were necessary
~ tho only means Of compelling employers "
recocuizo that there * n point beyond WIG"
Labor cannot be- oppressed without inc i''s'
loss which such struggles Involve. h"' Wv
strike also involves loss for the work'rs' a'' J."
mos, eases n loss which they ar" less apie !"
h.or than the employers Not lhirooh'"'N' wv
"a worklngnen have begun I" discover NV
strikes bring profits rather than losses I'D NV
cnployers The great strk" 81 c"ai mn
This wear doubled the price oi all Tue 'o'' VIZ
hand for n large number OF mine "p'r"'o.''
The nrint cloths unsold and on hand before 'he
strikes M Fall River and New-Behforh p'S'"
were about 1.1JO,0oo pieces. ana hireiu! H'N'
solos are being made ~ an advanced price
10 workingmcn's organizations wcr" always
wise strikes would not he attempted III U'H'
WHOM they profit employers and are likely !"
fail But II Is no injustice To workhglheh Z"
cav that their organizations are not aiw"!s wiz,
ond - they were the occasions Tor strih"S ""i''
lao ,oss frequent Part OF them have Their origin
IN ,bc fact that organizations exist. whch give
tho ocmbers a sense Of power 10 dictate tcriiiS'
and when men think they have unchecked power
,bcv are apt 10 err In Judgment. Another part
snrings from the fact that there are ainDi'iohS
| ar yell-paid leaders who feel mat the! h"S'
maintain their asccndancy by doing s"ih''h'"H
or onneoring 10 do something OF importance
Rut perbaps the most fruitful cause Oh s'r'h'S
| ,s tbe unwillingness Of men TO bear 'helr sh're
~ yoncral or local rcvcrses In business cohd-
t,ons Their right 10 compel employers, II 'h'y
can 10 bear all the loss. without any reduction
I'm wages need not BE- disputed, though II won'h
hardly be claimed that The employers III Ike
circumstances have right to force worKers u"
hear all the loss without suffering any d'nhihn
ton Of their profits But the main question: -
whether It pays to endure great sacrihces anu
share large and certain losses In the nope o,
escaping loss which naturally fails upon Ill
engaged in the business affected.
Mr. Gompers reasons that ~ per cent oi ''c
strikes succeed These figures are always maze
I'M nv the men who have the greatest possible
interest TO create the belief that strikes succeed
men like the leaders Of the great miners s'rikcS'
who labored for weeks to convince the miners
that the final settlement was victory Tor thein'
though the miners themselves had different
understanding 1t is probable that an absolutely
| imUartial statement WOuIu SnoW 'ha' h'''' '"''''
half the strikes In ordinary times are ended by
compromises which both sides should have been
willing and wise enough 10 accept at the outset,
and that of the rest about rs many are won by
ono side as by the other. But in times OF gen
oral depression the balance Is likely to be
aponst the workers, because employing capital
often incurs less loss by lying still than by
working.
Mr. Gompers does not think well Of arbltT'l-
tIon. and II must be admitted that peaceful
arbitration Is not very often n success between
two hostile organizations, each liable to be con-
| troIled by those who have least 10 lose by a
further struggle The radical weakness Of arbi
tration. as Mr. Gompcrs understands 1t, and OF
the strike system itself, Is that both deal with
bodies OF employers az one. and force them to
act as one In every important ease OF dispute
II has been found that some employers were
able and willing to grant, II left free to act by
themselves, what others could not or would not
independent agreements between these and
their employees would greatly facilitate similar
II not precisely the same, agreements between
other employers and their men. But where all
are forced to stand fall together, the many who
are least able to pay the wages desired carry
all with them. So arbitration, In order to attain
Il its best results, must be between single EN-
ployers who are free to act upon the conditions
affecting their own establishments only. and the