The weekly examiner., 1901-08-24
J. p. MoReAN's MISTAKE.
Endorsement of the Steel Strike
 From an Unexpected Quarter.

Endorsement of the Steel Strike
 From an Unexpected Quarter.
 Thes strike is significant for the reason that it Is the frankest and most open avowal that the annals of indus try record of the intentions of one class of persons to manage the business Of another class. Has not the United States Steel corporation the right to run its business in it's own way2 Has it not the right to employ whom it pleases? Theoretically, yes. This com pany has put up the money to run the steel business. Without it's capital, or the capital of those from whom it has inherited, there could be no steel busl- Eess. All this is true enough, but 1t Is equally true that without the CO., operation of labor there could be no steel industry. Labor is as essential as capital The stockholders of the steel trust furnish the capital, and this capi- tai has certain ends to gain from it's cooperation with labor.
 A sound economic policy would dic- tate that each party to the contract act with the most scrupulous fairness to- ward the other party. Capital in this particular case, however, starts in with the presumption In all minds that it does not intend to act fairly. For in stance, the capitalization of the United States Steel corporation has been so excessively inflated that the conviction cannot be avoided that fh >s business returns cannot be earned on this capitalization year in and year out without depriving the labor involved <r-4 economic proportion of the product It is to insure their rights in con tingency of this sort that the operatives are now dictating to the steel trust how it shall run it's mills. Theoretically, their course may seem high handed, but necessity knows no law. Labor Is now demanding more than its rights from capital for the reason that capital will demand more than its rights from labor if not checkmated In time.
 Perhaps the most significant feature of this strike Is that such an eminent financier as MT. J. P. Morgan, a man who in his day has taken hon0rs at German university, should have failed to perceive that such a scheme as the United States Steel corporation would eventually meet it's fate at the hands of labor-provided no other contingency rendered it hors de combat in the mean time MT. Morgan appears to have uE- limited resources at his command, and presumably it is in his power to put up cash enough at this time to defeat the strikers But his observation and his good sense should tell him that his vic tory could be only temporary. Organ ized labor may be discounted today, but 1t will triumph tomorrow. That is to say, 1t will in this case. When labor, in it's fight with capital, asks for more than its rights 1t will in the long run suffer defeat. And when capital in it's controversies with labor, aims at more than is justly its due. 1t VIII eventually come to grief. To pEopezIx judge the present strike 1t Is nect s5f 4 to go below the surface f8ctE. Super ficial1y the United States Steel corpora ton no doubt presents fairly decent attitude to the public in the matter of its relations with it's operatives. It is only on profound view of the eco homie features of the situation that we perceive that the operatives, conscious ly or unconsciously, have taken the az gressive in order to prevent themselves from being crushed to death later on. Everything is fair in war. When one is fighting for life. he cannot be particular about weapons.-UnitedS States Investor.