The labor world., 1899-05-20
WHEN STRIKES WILL CEASE
OBSERVATIONS OF DOCTOR PENROSE ON
THE INDUSTRIAL SITUATION OF TODAY.
BY Paul Williams.
XX i were in the midst of "

wv great strike. Thousands of
men were in idlcncss and
business WAS generally derangcd. 1T
seemed such a piece Of folly to me that
men, whose families We're in need OF
the nccess;lrics Of life, should be loaf
ing when they might be at work, and
he money that they might earn, when
said: =; 'Et'
"Doctor, what is your opinion of
strikcs?'
"a strike" he replied, is a protest
an objection to things us they cN'
ist. Tn a great many ways we strike
and the people make no account of it
We hardly think of it ourselves. Thus
when 1 object to the price Of meat
which my market charges and I go
elsewhere to buy, 1 strike. When my
clergyman gets call to go to another
city at 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
"'Hhcsc workmen have struck against
present conditions. Their employers
may compromise by advancing their
wages and perhaps mot, in which
event they will go or perhaps they
may conclude to return to their work
and stay
''But this is another kind of 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
the company shall submit to their
terms. Is not that Il straight hold
up? To illustrate, I go to work for
you this Monday morning for $3.50 per
day. Mkt Monday morning l demand
$500 a day. You refuse to pay it. l.
sit down and wait. You try to get
another man. station myself in po-
sition to see the new man who applies
and prevent, if possible, his taking
the place. I arouse public feeling
aga inst you also by which your prop
erty is injured Can we by amy argu-
ment prove that to be right:
''It would seem net; and yet circum-
stances might so change as to make
this seem justifable. Christ went
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-
manned and drove them out of the
temple by force.'
"Nes, and you know the consequent
ceS, Doctor.
Yes, I llno 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
he 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
Can you cite any instances wherein
strikers have won who rcsorted to
force?"
Yes, the examples are numerous.
Many successful revolutions inaugur-
atcd for the purpose of acquiring lib
crty have been successful. The Amer
lean Revolution was Il 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 sympathes Of the United
States and they have won the strike y
The act Of the South in the civil
war was Il strike. was it not?'
'Yes that was Il strike. The par
ties who brought it on thought it
embodied the same princip pies as those
Of the American revolution, but it
was totally different. Our forefathers
fought for freedom. The Southern
ers fought for the continued enslave-
mcnt OF siN million blacks. The moral