BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1901-06-29
SAN JUAN, JUNE %, 1901.
Editorial Comment.

A remarkable study OF labor problems
has been offered in the recent strike at
Dayton, Ohio. Here 1000 working people
have teen out in the various industrial
plants of the place, in response to an ap-
peal to them for sympathetic action made
by the employees Of the National Cash Re
gister Co. These last stopped Work because
tour of their number were discharged by
the company, for the reason that they were
Incompetent say the company, because they
were union men say the strikers and we're
active in pushing the interests OF organized
labor at the works.
Not even at Pullman, where much was
formerly done to assist The working people
ID attain to the highest results OF self bet.
terment and independence, 3cere the c0n-
ditlous surrounding the wage earners ever
so good as they have been at Dayton, At
which place it was believed an impregna-
nle ctidel of industrial equipoiSe had been
established. There has been no complaint
about wages, Dayton workers acere excep.
tonaIly well paid. There has been 20 com
plant about hours, the men were paid for
ten hours while doing nine and half
hours work, tie women got ten hours pay
for eight hours lrork.
The manager CT tie Cash Register com
pany has done everything to make Day ton
"a beautiful city. He voluntarily gave them
better wages than IS paid elsewhere, he
built big dining hall where tue workers
ate lunch at noon at the companl'S ex-
pense, he gave tbem libraries, baths. re-
creation halls, everything.
But because he exercised his discretion
in discharging four people whom he did
not wish to keep the factories of the plscs
have been closed for many weeks until
recently.
Such an incident in the light oi tie facts
is discouraging TO those who have hoped
that the system on trial al Dayton has bid
fair TO settle the labor problems of the
world satisfactorily and on just lines. Ii
certainly does not LOOK as il an ideal CON
diliOn can ever be reached. Surely mans
discomfort is his worst enemy. 1t is to be
hoped that the peace Just declared at Day
ton will be lasting.
No. the least of the problems for the
future are those which will lie in the in
PRODUCTION oflaborSaving Of machinery through
out China, India and the East. result
ouly waiting realization through the open
ing Of these mig ty regions by tier means
oi communication TO the commerce Of the
civilized nations.
All the new means Of mechanical indus
t-y which have everywhere else displaced
hand labor must and icll he introduced
among these old nations within compar-
atIyely short time, the advancing conquest
of constructive science will pause upon no
frontier nor stay Its progress before any
obstructive artifice of race colsCryatism
How can millions Of men EE0 nos live
upon the crudest processes of,manual crea.
tiOn amid conditions of the simplest wants
sustain themselves when this looming rad
ical crusade has reached theft mlGSt aud
but one in a hundred OF them, if even so
many, can he utilized under she minimum
demands OF mechanical pOwetj
Economists who are slulyitg the si:ua
tin confess their ability to fOr6Shadow rhat
is to come.
In this the yellow and the brown peril
unite to take on neU meaning. Tnat these
teemrg, active myriads of men will submit
to extiTpati0n through idieness thus enforc-
ell is not to be thought Of
Is civilization face to face with its cru
clal century!
The committee in charge of athletic sports
for the Fourth OF Jnly will have an attrac
tive programme OF popular amusements, in
whic all kinds of stunts in the acrobatic
line will be presented. Some good purses
are to be offered and it is hoped there will
be many entries for the competitions. Eve
rythiDg SLould be done to make the day
IN morable one in Porto Rico