New-York tribune., 1895-02-01
CAUSE OF LABOR WARS.
DISCUSSED BY AN EMPLOYER OF THOU
SANDS OF MEN.
,pc,~,z,r1oxs OF LABOR AND CAPITAL DRIFT
ING APART THROUGH TYRANNY ON BOTH
sInFs- -PRORI1EMS TO BE MET.

sIDEs-PRoBLEMs TO BE MET.
To the Editor of,The Tribune.
Sir. Refore any one can take dispassonate view
Of the labor war. and arrive at an uipieJu'0v
opinion the causes which have led up 10 thls acute
nhase Of the question must be considered Friction
between the employed classes and the employing
classes whether the former were slaves or freemen
has always existed, and labor strikes OF old nave
been the weapon welded by the laborers. But "hat
gives the struggle greater political ana commercial
Importance to-day than heretofore is that 'he iao0
ing class always the most numerous. Is now en-
dowed with the same political rights, man Tor man.
as the employing class. Property carries no Not"s
privileges and therefore the many can coHlpei nm.
the few the passage of legislative enactments "hc"
In other times would have been denied "hetne'
society as a whole. Is better ana happier o" ',''
account Ia not the question. We must lace 'he
fact that. the power of making laws has passed IN
the modern society from the hands OF the wealthy
or privileged few into that or the heeu! anu ''
ing many and ii would be unreasonaoie % sup
nose that they will not use the power IN d manner
subservient to what they believe 10 De '"e'' Wv"
interests.
ono rosult has heen the iegalizng within the past
generation on both sides OF the Atlantic, oil iapor
examinations, whose avowed OBJECT Is u MAI 'ia'
labor into compact body. and thus resist Win
some chances OF success. what they DeheVe 10 oe
The extortionate aggression OF capital Meah"h"e
complete transformation has passed over the meth
ods of trade and manufacture. Within the memory
Of living men, much Of the manufacturing work OF
the world done in small shops ana factories
where the owner was his own foreman, as well as
manager and worked side by side with his men,
Their wages were lower and their general condition
was worse than they are to-day. incomparably
worse than that Of the dwellers in Pullman. bus
they took more !nteres; in their work and in Their
masters prosperity-they felt some fellowship al
least with him. and above all they foresaw the
possibility of occupying his position as master
aO1d of npa
content for the modern gospel of dlscord and as
content-a gospel which. unfortunately, the rch
the less rich and the poor all nowadays accept as
the rule Of life.
But steam with its terrible potency for good and
evil rapidly replaced the intelligent workman by
a machine. and the power of rapid and inordinateN
great production which il put within the manu-
facturers control tempted him TO use 1t lndis-
creetly and to make more than he could readiy SELL
Competition then came more actively than ever INTO
play, and with lower prices followed or necessity
strenuous endeavors TO lessen the cost. Two means
of efYectng this end have always been summarily
resored to: first increasing the production. where
by administrative expenses are always reduced ana
second, wage-cutting. Increased production means
larger mills; a more complicated system or trans
portation; the rapid extension OF railroads. more in
tricate and perfect means of communicating infor-
nation and therefore for these and many other
purposes the association OF wealth in great corpora
tons without which these vast public Improvements
If they be improvemens-could not possibly be
carried out.
Thus society has been reconstructed on a new
plan, and the economical life of the world has un-
dergone complete revolution. The employer no
longer works by the side OF his employe and ap-
prentice and shares their domestic condolences lie
is the president or business manager OF con-
Germ employing thousands Of men. and perhaps
representing a nominal capital many times the ac-
tual money invested. He is responsible for the profit
able administration OF millions of dollars, real or
fictitious which have been contributed by host OF
subscribers whom he never saw and which SUD-
scrbers neither know nor care whit about the
condition of the toers who are. nevertheless, one
Of the important factors in earning for them their
profits The manager, however is in tonch win
the shareholders, invisible entities though most OF
them be TO him, rather than with the men, FOR MS
position and his salary depends on their votes ana
their will be cast in response TO Their dividends
Thus the real employers and employed never meet;
and the manager himself and the men inevitably
drift further and further apart, and hold communi-
cations with another-except on state occasions
only through subordinate officers who. after the
OF petty officers generally, are not always
conciliatory in words and acts.
Soon the pinch of lower prices and dwndiing dvi-
dends begins be felt by the presden-nanager and
the board. Expenses have to be reduced. The sim
plesi and most direct way of doing that involving
least thought TO the management and least cost 10
che company, is TO cut wages. Undoubtedly in very
always be- indeed ii often is the last and not the
first resort To secure as high standard OF
possible and when secured to maintain 1t. was the
motive for the creation Of modern trade unions
They have long existed, but have been menacing
only in recent times. They became aggressive and
assumed an attitude hostile to capital In England
. before they became threatening in this country
Charles Reades thrilling novel, Put Yourself in
His Place" was the first introduction most Amer-
can readers. nearly generation ago. had to the in
centives real and imaginary, which fomented
among the men a spirit OF unrest then OF distrust
and dislike toward their employers, ana IN some
melted them to acts OF diaboiicai cruelty anu
CALLING tyranny To these means the union men re-
sorted in order force into the union ana INTO soo
servient acquiescence with their policy men VINO
preferred TO think and act for themselves 1hs phas
OF trade-unionsm to-day Is just what II was twenty
five years ago. when Charles Reade wrote III IS a
disgrace TO good government that II should be So II
st is right for organization be Il or men OF oi
masters TO kill and main or TO hnancia!y rum the
peaceable fellow men, whose only claim is that they
think differently, and therefore assert the preroga-
tive Of man 10 differently, then let such tyranny
he legalized and let the Independent workman or
manufacturer understand that the old rule OF right
and wrong has been abrogated, and he VIII DOW ms
head the will OF the self-constituted rna,oaiS
But until society has determined such outi s,
should be more summary queiled than nan, nl. n
Cleveland essayed TO do during the recent ross. ~
than IL being done to-day in Brooklyn But aS's vi
violence are an excrescence trade-unionism.
Organization of capital, to carry tnrousu * xe or
enterprises has long been legalzed. but other VI .
eanizatons to maintain certain equillDIiunn % on
prices II not Iegalized have become a
a necessary corrective unbf1died competitio
and under proper restrictions, will sooner or later
he ieealized We say proper restrictions lot inc
tyranny OF trusts is liable TO become as great an
abuse as the tyranny of trades-unions ana Inv inv
property OF weak commercial concerns rs as com,
rietey at the mercy OF certain strong cofnnerciai
combinatio and lis treated as mercllessy. az ar
the rights OF Don-unlon scaps u;
their united fellow -workmen. To guard the Weik
against the uneenerous exercise OF tneir power VS
the strong and 10 protect the minority from the
abusive use OF their preponderance by the ma
jority OF the highest provinces OF Chris'ia''
government but IL is the most diiicuit TO exefcse
Yet the civilized world is going TO be caiieI upon
and that without delay. TO decide how IL VIII recVI,
cile the inevitable growth OF commerciai, social
and political organizations with individual rshts.
When we look at the two armies marshalled TO-DAY
tn the commercial world. II would almost seem 70