The labor world., 1899-05-20
WHEN STRIKES WILL CEASE
OBSERVATIONS OF DOCTOR PENROSE ON
THE INDUSTRIAL SITUATION OF TODAY.
VX r in the midst of a sentiment Of the
NX great strike. Thousands Of them. They had
BY Paul Williams.

VX = r were in the midst of a
Wv great strike. Thousands OF
men were in idleness and
business was generally deranged. Tt
seemed such a piece of folly to me that
men, whose families were in need OF
the necessaries of life, should be loaf
ing when they might be at work, and
: their families were so much needing
the money that they might earn, wher
1 said: :. H"RV
. "Doctor, what is your opinion OF
strikes?''
"a strike,'' he replied, is a protes1
an objection to things as they eX
ist. In great many ways we strike
and the people make no account of it
We hardly think of it ourselves. Thus
when I object to the price of meat
which my market charges and &c
elsewhere to buy, strike. When my
clergyman gets call to go to another
city at a better salary, he will strike
against his present compensation.
Possibly we will compromise by adj
vancing his salary, and perhaps not,
in which event he will go or perhaps
he may conclude to stay"
'sThese workmen have struck against
present conditions. Their employers
may compromise by advancing their
wages and perhaps not, in which
event they will go or perhaps they
may conclude to return to their work
and stay
But this is another kind of a strike,
Doctor. The men have not only
struck, but they remain and propose
to enforce their demands. Instead of
the men complying with the terms of
the company, the men propose that
T the company shall submit to their
! terms. Is not that 4 straight hold
up? To illustrate, I go to work for
you this Monday morning for $3.50 per
day. Next Monday morning I demand
$500 day. You refuse to pay it. I
sit down and wait. You try to get
another man. I station myself in po-
sition to see the new man who applies
and prevent, if possible, his taking
the place. I arouse public feeling
aghinst you also by which your prop
erty is injured. Can we by any argu-
ment prove that to be right!'
''It would seem net; and yet circum-
! stances might SO change as to make
this seem justifiable. Christ went
Z down to Jerusalem, according to the
account given in the twenty-frst
chapter, of Matthew, and protested
against the rates CT interest which the
bankers were taking in the temple.
In other words, he struck against
usury. 1t was his privilege to have
gone away and let the money chang
ers alone, but instead of that he re-
mained and drove them out of the
temple by force"
eyes, and you know the consequent
ces, Doctor
Eyes, Ino W." replied the Doctor,
'.that cost Christ his life. Drastic
measures like that are dangerous.
The money power is always over
whelmingly strong. 1t can buy
courts, it can buy law, it can and will
rule. Therefore, however right may
be upon your side, it is very danger
Gus to resort to force. The Jews, the
money lenders of the world, immedi-
ately banded themselves against
Christ and have continued their man.
ipulation of money from that day to
this
s'Can you cite any instances wherein
strikers have won who resorted to
force?"
"Yes, the examples are numerous.
Many successful revolutions inaugur-
ated for the purpose of acquiring lib
erty have been successful. The Amer
lean Revolution was a strike against
British tyranny. 1t resulted success
fully. The Cubans struck for liberty
from Spanish oppression. They had
so much justice on their side as to
enlist the sympathies of the United
States and they have won the strike" :"
'"rhe act of the South in the civil
war was a strike, was it not?"
''Yes, that was a strike. The par
ties who brought it on thought it
embodied the same. principles as those
of the American revolution, but it
was totally different. Our forefathers
fought for freedom. The Southern
ers fought for the continued enslave-
ment Of six million blacks. The moral