The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-03-05
ONE BOARD ARBITRATION.

| in waves. Some OF II Is good, some OF
| il is bad, ani some of it is simply OF in
different value. BUTT appears that when
one State of prominence undertakes to
legislate for or against something, other
states are quite likely 10 Ike up the
legislation, 600, until sort of uniform
ity Of laws on that subject is secured in
most of the states. Ifpractice proves the
legislation to be as desirable as was ex-
pected when 1T was adopted, the laws
stand. If not, reaction comes sooner
or later.
OF this kind of legislation that seems
to sweep in waves over the respective
states are that affecting foreign invest
ment corporations, the so-called medical
bills and the compulsory vaccination
measures, and almost all of the whole
lot of so-called labor bills.
These are few examples. Rhode
Island is behindhand in the
adoption some of these measures. and
so far as some Of them are concerned it is
just as well that we should remain
behindhand lest the reaction set in just
as we are on the point of following the
lead, like sheep, in matters that
in practice do not bear out the
promises of theory. The legis-
lation establishing arbitration boards,
designed to settle disputes be-
tween capital and labor, by the in
tervention of State authority, is speci-
men of the kind of legislation that it
will be just as we'll for those states that
have not adopted it to fight shy of for
while longer, for it looks very much as
If second thought, after experience
with this kind of laws in operation, will
result In their repeal or radical modifi-
cation in most of the states where they
have been adopted with such flourish
of trumpets within few short years.
We have had frequent occasion, dur
ing the years since State boards
of arbitration became fad,
and a national board of arbitration has
begun to be seriously considered, to
watch the operation of the law which
establishes these commissions in the sew
eral states. New York, New Jersey and
Massachusetts being near at hand, and
also being states where intelligence
rules in the long run, have
offered the most satisfactory field for
the study of the workings Of these arbi-
tration boards. The practical workings
of the boards have not been of char
acter to at all justify the hopes of the
promoters of this scheme for settling
disputes between capital and labor and it
has evidently been only matter of time
when the boards would be abolished in
these States or their duties very much
modified. They have been simply an ex-
pense to the State while bringing no
helpfulness to either labor or capital.
The effort and money which they
have enlisted have produced only ridicu-
lously small results, and they
have demonstrated little excuse
for a continued existence. They were
originally the product of political
period, not yet quite gone by, when the
name of labor was shibboleth that
politicians bowed down to and worshiped.
Any freak legislation, any ideas how
ever ridiculous and violent, IL introduced
and pushed by "labor" found plenty
of ready supporters who tumbled over
one another to advance its interest and
secure for the sponsors the "labor
vote'-which in most cases was largely
mythical. The label Of "labor" carried
with it, in many instances. a sacredness
not possible to ordinary measures. Rev
erence was paid this shibboleth and it
had immunity from anything but the
most reserved sort Of discussion.
OF such was the legislation that in
many States secured the establishment
of that ridiculous piece of officiaism,
the State board of arbitration. And
now the reaction seems to be quickly
following experience with these institu-
tions. This was begun in New Jersey,
which had an arbitration board that was
supposed to be model. As matter Of
fact it represented only professional and
political labor interests in their most
absurd form. The members of the
board were friends of labor, chiefly be-
cause they were friends of themselves.
They worked the labor interests and
kept successive Legislatures in a state of
reverent fear. The New Jersey board
of arbitration poked itself into every
little labor dispute that it could get at,
and although both sides to numerous
strikes and discussions between labor
and capital We're wont to spurn its
proffered advice and assistance that
naturally made no difference, to
the board, so long as they
could draw $40 day each and
mileage every time they undertook to
| take hand in trouble It appears that