The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-08-10
Senator Ingalls, or Strikes.

/ he writes. lis that these troubles are
/ confined almost exclusively to the North.
/ hey seldom occur In the South. This
/ immunity is due partly 70 the absence
/ Of the foreign element. Society is more
/ homogeneous, and there is less Unequal
/ ity Of conditions Great fortunes are
/ few The burdens Of life are less Tho
/ benefcence Of the soil and sky depTlyes
poverty of its hardships and diminishes
the necessity for toll Comp tition Is
more free, opportunity is less restricted
/ Trusts and combinations have not ab.
sorbed the resources and monopolized
the activities Of the people. " This Il
an attractive picture, and in the main
/ II is not too highly colored The South
has been singularly fortunate in its i'm
munity from outbreaks. which are every
year becoming more frequent in the
North, and which are fast leading the
country 70 a crisis u extreme gravity
In Mr. Ingalls, opinion, the oonse-
quences Of that crisis are certain TO be
immensely momentous
Mr. ingalls, points out the significant
fact that strikes are occurring at a time
when the people OF the United States
are prosperous beyond precedent
Strikes. lockouts. boycltts and disor-
der, he says. "are ineligible in times
Of panic and distress, II shrinkage and
disaster. when wages fall and multi-
tudes are out OF employment. " But
that condition does not exist now.
The Treasury Of the United States is
congested, our exports are enormous,
and all nations are our debtors. Money
IL so abundant and interest so low thnt
the occupation Of the miser and usurer
l. gone. The demand for labor has
been constant aud remunerative, -kpt
the discomfort Of the employed is more
general more desperate and more men
acing than ever before in our history
1t has apparently passed from the acute
into the chronic stage and from being
casual has b Jme permanent From
this pessimistic view Of the situation
Mr.. Ingalls, drifts into the conclusion
that "the great gulf between employers
and employees yawns wider and more
ineIorably every day. Until conditions
/ change they can never be reconciled-
/ one or the other must be subjugated OF
both must be destroyed. II is an iron.
| ical corollary to the brotherhood Of
man. "
Mr. Ingalls, cites recent labor disturb
ances in five States to show that the
antagouism between employers and the
| employed has reached the chronic stage.
In Kansas City one OF the great pack
ing houses was compelled TO close bo
cause the operatives abandoned their
work, even after their demands had
been conceded. In Buffalo the freight
handlers struck, practically suspending
shipments Of grain and merchandise be-
tween the East and the West. In Chi.
cago all building operations were stop
ped by strike Of the union bricklayers,
entailing immense losses and causing
great inconvenience to vast numbers
who were in no manner implicated
otherwise in the controversy. In In
diana Governor Mount had troops in
readiness to disperse riotous laborers at
the coal mines who were not satisfied
with the methods and prices OF the
operators.
With the conditions which recently
prevailed in Cleveland, Ohio all news
paper readers are familiar. In Mr.. In
gals opinion, Paris in the days OF
the Commune was not worse than Oleve'
land during the street car stike. " Cars
were blown up with dynamite obstruc'
tions were placed on the tracks; strands
of barbed wire were stretched across the
tracks at a convenient height to decap-
itate "scab" mOtormen; boycott
which paralyzed the trade and indus
tries Of the city was instituted. Cleve-
land for time was practically in the
hands of the heterogeneous mob until
State troops were assembled and put to
work doing police duty. In fact, a
veritable reign Of terror prevailed In a
prosperous Northern city Of 300. 900 in
habitants, and normal conditions were
restored only by show Of force.
1T is wrong to wreck cars with dyn-
amite, to cut trolley lines. to destroy
corporate property and subject the pub
lie to Inconvenience, says Mr.. In
gals. such acts are crimes that
deserve punishment, and il commit
ted by combinations too powerful for
the courts, should be summarily dealt
with by the soldiers of the Repub-
lic. " But, argues Mr.. ingalls,, the
law should be enforced with equal JUS
tice. Ibid it ever occur to Governor
Bushnell, Of Ohio" he asks, ito call
ont the militia to suppress the trusts
that have for so many years defied the
laws Of Ohio, successfully resisted the
mandates of its courts and inflicted ir'
reparable injury upon multitudes OF Its
citizens? fa corporation brides courts,
laughs at Justice, oppresses the weak
and robs the helpless, let us pus plank
against trusts in the next platform and
ask for a contribution. We appleud
Governor Mount. of Indiana, for hav.
ing his troops ready to shoot rioters,
but what about the Window Glass
Trust that took the bread from the
mouths Of 5000 innocent victims and
doubled the price Of glass that 1t might
pay dividends upon $50, 900 900 Of ficti.
tious capital?'
Ingalls, take a gloomy view Of the
situation, but It is scracely as bad as he