The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-22
ArbitratinR Labor Troubles.

Arbitrating Labor Troubles.
The work of the New York state board
of meditation and arbitration for the year
ending oct. 81, 1894. is hardly conducive
To enthusiasm for the scheme of settling
labor troubles through compulsory arbi-
tration." 1t is true the New York board
has no power to compel arbitration or to
enforce the awards it may make in cases
submitted TO it. It's functions are the
soothing Offices of a peace ma6er-the
friend of both parties to the dispute; never
theless out of 425 strikes in New York
state last year, of which the board took
cOgnizance, its decisions i'm only eight cases
putants are SO reluctant TO accept the in
reference of friendly arbiter. how
much more reluctant would they Dee to ac-
cept the Offices of an arbiter who held "A
club to enforce the award!
The policy of the state intervening be
tween contendlng employers and en-
ployes. however. appears to be gaining i'm
favor with the lawmakers at least. Thir-
teen states now have laws providing for
the arbitration of strikes and lock-outs.
and it is said that In a number of other
states whose legislatures are now in ses-
sion, similar bills viii be passed. Five
states have regularly organized boards
of arbitration During the past year
Louisiana has authorized ana organized
such "a board The work of all of these
boards. it is believed, is limited to efforts
to bring the parties to the controversy
face to face with each other. and to assist
them in arriving at an understanding. So
long as the functions Of the boards are
thus limited they will probably grow i'm
favor. There can be no objection to an
official effort to alay the irritation Incl
dent to labor troubles and to bring about
an amicable adjustment of differences.
But the natural objection of both parties,
to a strike in which large money interests
are involved, to submitting the question
to the Judgment and business of a third
party. would be augmented if the third
party were given the power to enforce any
award that might be made
The story of the wreck of the big Miss
issippi river steamer State of Missouri.
told in our dispatches, reads like a chap
ter from the history of the days when
Mark Twain was pilot and Jim Blud-
soc achieved fame. At that time there
We're frequently horrors on the river. be
cause of the recklessness of racing cap
tains and engineers, as well as from the
natural dangers OF the navigation of a
great stream. made up mostly of treacher-
Gus sandbars and shifting currents. In
those days pretty much all the valley traf-
hc, freight and passenger. was
carried on steamboats,. and great
fleets went up aud down the
river every day. Now. however. the
railroads have about knocked out" the
steamers as passenger carriers; hence it
is a reminder OF old times to read of the
wreck of boat with as much as 100
persons aboard.
The assistant attorney general Of the
postofiice department has given some nice
examples Illustrating what is a lottery and
what is not under the postal laws If
person guess, for a prize, the number of
seeds in watermelon after merely look
/ ing mt the melon the contest is a lottery.
Awarding a prize for guessing the weight
of melon. however, if the melon were
lifted before the guess. would not be run
ming a lottery. The awarding of prize
to a person guessing nearest the number
of beans in a bottle is held to be a lot
terry. Newspapers, therefore. must not
publish the results of bean guessing con
tests ana similar affairs. or anything
about them. unless it be for the purpose
of exposing them as lotteries, upon pain
of having the mails closed to their edi-
tiops
The Texas legislature is considering
whether CT no, it shall pass law fixing
the price of victims of Judge Lynch at
5000. TO be paid by the county to the
family Of the deceased. II we remember
rightly the South Carolina legislature at
/ its recent session decided a similar prop
osition in the negative. The counties in
which lynchinss occur should not be held
liable for the acts of "A mob. The mob
! leaders are the people who ought to pay
the damages; and the payment should be
: the extreme penalty Of the law.