Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1901-09-20
THE CORVALLIS GAZETTE.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1901.
COLLAPSED.

The great strike Of the steel
workers ends in miserable fail
ure. This was foreseen by all
who understood the objects OF the
strike, and by none more clearly
than by lafge numbers of the
worklnen themselves. The chief
cause of its failure is found in the
fact that there was no adequate
reason for it. 1t did not involve
a question of wages, hours OF
work, time of pay day, or any
such thing; it was simply an at
tempt of certain leaders and or
eanizers of labor to force non-
union men into labor unions.
These Leaders aimed to hrns the
employers of labor, the mill own
efs, over to their aid by suspend
ing work in those mills where
only union ne, were employed,
until the non-union mills had
been unionized. They attempted
to organize a general sympathetic
strike in every industry in which
the work1nen have a union, by
inducing all labor unions to come
into the Amalgamated Associa-
ton. They did not succeed in
doing this, although the Tin
Plate men entered the strike.
In the whole history of labor
strikes it is questionable if there
is recorded one so causeless and
utterly senseless as this one.
Never before were men more
constantly employed at SO COED
wages as when this strike was or
dered. They were satisfied, hap
py and contented. They had no
sort of grievance, and these con-
ditions promised to extend far
into the future. Labor leaders,
however, must enforce their ideas
and purposes. All the workmen
must become members of labor
union and all unions must enter
the one great amalgamated unisn.
A strike having no better pur-
pose than this should fail just as
this one failed. There is in this
failure lesson that the workmer
may learn to their future advan'
tage. In the McKeesport dis
trict alone upward of one millior
of dollars have been lost In wage:
and three tin plate mills hereto
fore union are now non-unior
mills. The strikers are now ask
ing for employment at the job
they so lately abandoned. O
course, all for whom work cat
be found will get it, but th'
places of many have been fllee
aud they must seek employment
elsewhere. They will find i
shortly, for there is work for all
but they must be idle awhil
1onger-move their families t.
Pittsburg, Wheeling, or som,
more distant point.
All this loss and possible suffer
ing to the workmen was causet
by the vanity of T. J. Shafer
president of the Amalgamatet
Association, who sought to mak'
a record as an ''organizer of la
bor." He is a demagogue, al
the more dangerous because rath
er intelligent and having some
education. The workmen nov
see how causeless the strike ane
are greatly embittered TOWARD
him.
There are very encouraging
signs that the mass Of intel1igen
wotk1nen are becoming very
tired of the tyranny of labor un
ions and the leadership of pro
fessed organizers and friends o.
labor. There is some hope thai
labor unions will free themselves
from their imported features and
become as helpful and useful a.
their most intelligent members
believe they should be. In the
hands of wise leaders this is pos.
sible, but never while idle and
sentimental theorists direct them.