The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-17
In Favor Of Arbitration.

In Chicago, among men who are sup
posed to voice public sentiment, the i'm
/ preston is that the remedy for strikes
/ and bovcotts is arbitration. Acting in
/ harmony with this sentiment, Represent
! alive Springer OF Illinois has introduced
/ a bill into congress creating a national
board of arbitration. 1t is drawn on
/ lines laid down by President Cleveland in
| his message of April, 1856. 1t provides
for a board of arbitration consisting of
three members, who are TO receive s., coo
each a year. Whenever either party to
a labor controversy, involving directly or
indirectly interstate commerce or the
transportation of the mails, requests an
arbitration the board shall notify the
other party, and, whether that party con-
sent or not, it shall proceed to make an
investigation of the matter and render a
decision. The report Of its action is to be
sent to the President and by him trans
mitted to congress.
IN view of the fact that there is a very
strong sentiment in favor of something
being done to prevent strikes and boy
colts, it is probable that congress will
take hold Of the matter and endeavor to
frame an arbitration law that will be sat
isfactory to both employers and employees.
The great majority of employers are as
anxious as employees that a way shall be
found for the peaceful settlement of labor
troubles. Both sides are the sufferers
from strikes and boycotts, and both sides
ought TO be willing to make some conces-
sions.
If there had been a national board of
arbitration there would have been no
boycott on the Pullman cars and no strike
by the railway union. Debs would not
have ordered a boycott and strike, be-
cause he would have known that the de-
cision of arbitrator would be against him.
1t is said that at the convention of the
railway union at Chicago, when the boy
colt was decided upon, Debs urged the
union TO take position against compul-
sorry arbitration. If that be true he must
then have contemplated policy that he
knew public sentiment would not sus-
tain.
The bill of Mr.. Springer is doubtless
hastily drawn. If congress takes hold of
the matter at all, it will undoubtedly give
it very thorough consideration. The rep
resentatives of labor and capital should
be given hearing, so that, the views of
all interests being thoroughly understood,
such a law might be enacted as would be
generally acceptable.
If congress enacts an arbitration law
each of the states is likely to enact a sim
liar law. The difficulty is to make an
arbitration law effective when one of the
parties to a dispute does not want to arbi-
trate. Take the case of the Pullman com
pany and its employees. Mr.. Pullman
says there is nothing to arbitrate-that
his shops were not making money and he
closed them. From his standpoint, there
fore, there is nothing to arbitrate, be-
cause no board of arbitration would re-
quire him to operate his shops at a loss,
or require him to operate them at all if he
objected to doing so.
1t seems like an easy matter to settle
labor troubles by arbitration, but it isn't.
On the contrary, it is so difficult that it
it question whether arbitration is a salts
factory remedy for such troubles.