The weekly examiner., 1901-08-10
ARBITRATION THE THING.

ARBITRATION THE THING. So Says One Who Recognizes Equal
 Rights For Labor and Capital.
 Just now, when the country is being agitated by the great labor strikes and certain lines of business are practically paralyzed for the time being, it might be well to stop and think for moment toward what end all this is tending and the price the country is paying to settle these difficulties.
 The main thing with the labor people is to secure recognition for their or ganizations by capital. They feel that unless they can do this their organiza- ton has failed to accomplish its end and they are still at the mercy of cap ital.
 On the other hand, the capitalists look upon this demand of labor as sentimental and ridiculous. They req son that if laborers want to quit work when they are receiving good pay and steady employment, all because of some imagined grievance in the way of pub lie recognition, let them go ahead. Cap
 
 And so the public has the spectacle presented to it of two great classes of producers, the tool owners and the tool users, at swords points, and this at time of unexampled prosperity and business activity.
 The general public is interested ill this matter more than it cares to own. Its business is in turn affected, but it is forced to grin and bear it, for there seems to be no remedy. Still the pub lie cannot help asking the question now and then, Have capital and labor right to carry on war which not only injures themselves, but damages their innocent neighbor as welI?" When vast combinations of capital can ap- propriate railroad system which GOV CTS practically the whole country or monopolizes single industry or com modity and when in self protection la Dor organizes and perfects it's organiza- tion to the point where a strike will extend from New England to Florida, when it will eventually be in posi- tion to tie up an entire system or cor poration, then where do the rights of the public come in? Are the business in- yterests Of the country to be ruined be- cause two sets of individuals think they must needs fight? Is the public going to stand idly by and see lives lost, property ruined and money sacri- feed? And yet this is the price we are paying to adjust these matters, when they could be settled by simple arbitra- tion-could be adjusted by intelligence instead of force without the loss of a cent. Is it necessarily for an intelligent people to pay the price which will be inevitable unless some action is taken? {?
 The immediate contending parties seem to have lost sight of everything except what they are pleased to call their rights. Labor, 1t is true. has of fered to arbitrate its differences, but capital seems to think it has nothing to arbitrate. 1t thinks that the propos- als of labor for shorter hours or a rec ognition of its union amount to an un- warranted interference with business which capital considers as it's own es- pecial concern.
 Now, in this matter capital will even tually find that 1t is mistaken. In all large enterprises the men employed are personally interested. The output of these immense corporations is not en- tirely the property of the parties who own the tools. The workmen employed, who use the tools and make the product of the corporation possible, have a right to their share. If capital. through organizing into trust, is able to appro- priate to itself more of the public wealth and dictnte the price of labor to its employees more effectually, then la bor has right to organize for self pro- tection. If the trust receives recogni- tion, then the labor organizations should receive it also. And the public should see that the differences which arise between these parties. labor and capital, are properly and promptly ad- austed by arbitration.
 It is bad enough in all conscience for the public to be robbed by exorbitant trust prices without having its business ruined by the quarrels of these giant combinations.-F. J. Merriam.