The evening times., 1900-09-20
Mr. Bryan On Arbitration.

il will serve as an excuse for 4 pTacipi-
tate scuttling out Of China.
Nr. Bryan ON Arbifration.
One paragraph in Mr.. BTyan's splendid
letter OF acceptance is brought into par
EicuIar prominence by reason of its bearing
;.pon the labor war which is in progress in
The anthracite coal region Of Pennsylvania
Mr- Bryan says:
'.Xo one who has observed the friction which
arises between great corporations and their NUM-
sEou~ employees doubt the Wisdom OF cStAi'-
i,hing an Impartial CONT for the Just and cgIit.
hlc settlement Of Disputes Ine demand fJT aUhI
tgutiou ought to be supported ~ heartily by the
public which suffers Inconvenience because "I
suikes and lockouts, and by the Cmployel7
then. 7eivcs, as by the emp!cye> The establish
lptUt 0f arbitration VIII friendly relations
between labor and capital. and render ohSs lee
IL growing practice OF calm" III lie army L.
settle .1bOr troubles"
This utterance of the Democratic Presi-
dential candidate is timely. The subject Of
strikes is before the American people TO
day in an aggravatfngly concrete FORM
The trouble in the anthracite field affects
not alone the hundred aud odd thousand
miners who are Idle. and their dependents,
but millions Of other people who, like the
miners. though no. to the same extent, are
made to suffer because of the rapacity and
inhumanity of the Coal Trust Untold
thousands of poor families at this moment
are being taxed to support the trust mag
mates in their resistance 10 the just de-
mands of their toilers, through the ad
vance in the price of hard coal and it may
not be long before those who use it-rich
or poor-will be unable to supply them
selves at any price Factories. public
power plants, municipal utilities of various
kinds, may be paraIyzed before many
weeks, that the greed and arrogant pride
OF the trust may be fed
As Mr.. Bryan pointedly tells Us. there
IS a practicable way out of this difficulty,
and it is compulsory arbitration. Such
a method of settling disputes between
capital and labor no doubt would be
fercely anita gonized by the trusts, and
while they enjoy the unbridIed license 70
oppress and extort that they do under the
Hanna Mckinley Administration and IN
der Republican State governments, they
can prevent the adoption of such system.
All the same, il is within the power and
ability of the American people to force
it upon them, first by oyerturning the
party of the trusts in State and nation.
and secondly by electing executives. a
Congress- and legislatures which Will en-
act the necessary laws.
Against the general principle of arbi-
tration trust magnates, as in Pennsytva-
lfia. object that while resulting agree
nents on their side car be enforced, those
made by the representatives of labor can
be violated at Will and without penalty.
Admitting this contention 10 be well
founded. the fact remains that it can have
nc application to compulsory arbitration,
the results of which can be made en-
1orceable upon all parties by the State.
Compulsory arbitration is just alike TO
the employer, the employed, and TO the
community at large, which is made to suf-
fer by their disagreements. 1t is not an
untried experiment. 1t has worked sue
cessfully in New Zealand, where it has
been in operation since 1894, and during the
six years since ii went into effect there
have been no strikes.
SingularIy enough, as it appears to peo-
pie familiar only with the employing class
as We have it in this country, it was the
New Zealand employers themselves wl.o
passage. II provides for two courts, name
Iy, conciliatory and supreme court. The
first is composed of five members; Two
elected by the employer, two by the en-
ployed. and the fifth by the other four
From this court an appeal lies TO the SUI
pFeme court, which is composed of three
persons, one each elected by the parties in
dispute. and the third by the other Two.
From the decisions of the supreme court
there is no appeal. and 1t has absolute
power 10 enforce its DEGREES.
This New Zealand law is sweeping in its
effects. Under it. decision of general
application to trade or industry af-
fects not only the employer and his
hands in the factory. shop, or mine
IN which the dispute originates, but all
masters and men in the same business.
This sounds radical. but it is not the less
true that neither capital nor labor in New
Zealand would for a r,on,a,t +oIa-.+o a.,