The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1901-10-19

Rights-Each Can Refuse to Sell
or buy. 3l1-- ."
- -.
When an employeFo whose workmen
are on strike makes the statement that
he lis fighting forgthe. right to run his
own shop" he does not mean what he
says. The workmen do not -take@Awa
the shop: they leave it, there for him
to run himself; Just what he says he
wants. But instead of wanting to run
his, shop himself. he wants q lot Of
other men to do it. And he not only
wants these OTHER men to do all the
dradgery'in hts shop sf6f 11i16, bltshe
wants to dictate lust how long they
shall work., what wa9eaf they shat re-
ceive, and who they shall have for COM
pnntons and comrades during working
hours-thes greater part of their thine.
He Hot Only wants to,, but do,e:s dictate
what time these other men must RET up,,
in the morning bypfe seribiHs theahourI
toe commences worries and lfe dictates
when they shah eft their meals BY 81 Pre-
scribing the quitting TIME; He dictates,
their movements through the day and
decides what they must think about.
Noe being satisfied with the amount. OF
dictation he can do himself, lie hftesi
other men to help, who often, dictate to
an extent which would surprise him
II he knew about it.. ~t$<E
1f.an employer u viii only Stop to think.
he will not talk much -ahut dtctation,
for hewill o9e- that hesEdictats6: 10 his
employees thousand times for once his
employees dictate to him. /
: "But,"'e it will be demonstrated,
doesn't he pay. his employees for1their
time, and hasen't he right to say
what shall be done with it," Certain
", if they sen their time to him. But
have not they the right to refuse to sell
il 5they :, do? not consider: hts terms
satisfactoSy?To ra>-2 90 KS 20 ':5tt::5st
A steel manufacturer~has certainly
the right to quit the business either
permanently or temporarily. Two
steel manufacturers i1ntuestionably
have the right to quit business at the
same time. So have threesSfour or4ten.
PROFESSIONALLY. ...,. ....
A pudler has the right to quit puddl-
Ing permanently or temporarily. So
have two. So have ten thousand.
If ten thousand Of them tell a steel
manufacturer that they will not sell
their labor to him under certain condi-
lions they do not dictate what he shall
do, they merely decide what they shall
do with their own private persons and
are polite enough to inform the manu-
facturer Of their intended action.
The relations between the two parties
are those Of buyer ana seller and both
have rights. The buyer has the right to
refuse to buy, the seller has the right too
refuse to sell. Unless it is dictation for
the buyer. ito refuse to. buy son the sell
ler'sa terms itscannot be dictation. for
the seller te.refuse to sell on the buy
er's terms. It cannot, therefore. be
dictation for the seller to inform the
buyer upon what terms he viii or will
not sell. +
vi When tanners hold OF and refuse to
buy hides until they can get better
terms, they are practically on strike:
When shoe manufacturers hold off and
refuse:to buy. leather until they get bet
ter terms, they are practically on strike.
not we'll organized one, perhaps, but
nevertheless practically STRIKE: Re-
ferr1ng to tanners ana dealers in hides,
the Shoe and Leather Reporter says
Either side will take every advantage
possible, according as the market is in
their favor, and no blame attaches to
their doing So" Now when the shoe
makers or some other body which is
selling labor holds on for better terms,
it is z strike; they ought to have been
more coneervative;' "blanne attaches to
their doing so," though it doesn't at
tach to dealers in other saleab1e things.
What Is the reason Tor such tangled
up Views on u much discussed questfof, i:
OH, nothing but the ordinary: dffffculty
experienced by @haman bei1gs,ir seefnr
the other fellows side Of the case As 4
married mans experience: *z-s'ft TOOK
me the whole of the first year to md
out there were two Of tfs, that / wasn't
the whole thing and going to have my Il,
own way, and that any compromises
were necessary" It is hard to reaiize
that one isn't going to have his own
way. One wants it 50 bad: But sooner
or later we come to recognize that We
must compromise, that there are two
sides, two views, two needs, two forces.
When this point is reached We are bro
pared. for practical work. Less is SAID
about dictation.
Neither employer or emptoye dictate
In one sense as neither Is compelled by
PHYSICAL force to concede the others
terms; both dictate in another sense as
both are compelled, at least to some ex-
tent, to grant something the other d.
mands or suffer pecuniary loss, Neither,
side is obliged in one sense to deal I'M l.:
less he. sees fit. One is, NOT. Obliged to
work for the other nor the other to hire
him though the only alternative some
times Is. one must quit working. and the
other quit raanufaeturinE. :s's t,+1 "a,
As in buying, and selling. anything
else. each dictates, TO- acme, extent, or
neither dictates, according 10 tie way
one chooses to. look IT, IT,. Neither side
should therefore, complain Of dictation.
but one party may properly. claim, that
the other is an unreasonable party to
buy Labor. FROM, or that the otl.er is an
unreasonable party to sell labor to-
Boot and Shoe, Worker. ~. ssaa a...,s 3