New-York tribune., 1901-07-23
TILE POLITICAL STRING.


Mr.. Shaffer, having found the Stock Ex-
change string to his bow useless draws the
political string. He solemnly warns the Re-
publican party and the President that they must
take hand to force the steel manufacturers
TO sign the union wage scale for the non-union
mills, and so force the non-union men in those
mills to join the union as the only way to secure
comfortable conditions of work when that or
eanization stands between them and their en-
ployer He holds that 'if the administration
islands idle and allows the trust TO crush us
"out of existence" it must count on the enmity
of organized labor. and as the price OF, labor
friendship he urges it to present restrictive
measures to Congress or laws that VIII tehu
"to conine the Morgan power"
Mr. Shaffer does not tell just how he expects
the Morgan power to be restricted, or just how
Congress. which does not meet till next De-
cember, can pass laws to win Tor MN strihe
now in July even II he should be able 10 tell
the President what laws he wanted anu the
President could induce Congress to pass them
Mr.. Shaffer talks about laws against the trust
but il is perfectly clear that laws are not what
he wants. He wants something to be done now
that will force the manufacturers to accede TO
his demands. lust as he wanted Wall Street 70
force them TO do so. regardless of justice or
anything else except TO save IFS investments
from depreciation and enable the market 10
absorb the steel securities. He expected TO
make surrender 10 his terms the price or peace
in the Stock Exchange, and now he hopes 10
force it by threat OF political blackmail. He
knows as well as anybody else that laws VIII
not win his strike for nim He wants the Presi-
dent To take Mr. Morgan in hand. and either
by threats TO use his official power against
hat IN no
partys interest and in turn for the steel manu-
facturers' interest TO induce Mr.. Morgan TO sur
render to the strikers.
OF course the President will do nothing of
the kind The relations of a manufacturing
company and its workmen are no more concern
of his than the quarrels between q truck driver
and a motorman in a crowded street; and the
truck driver might as appropriately call on the
administration to force the servant Of the
wicked streetcar corporation TO apologize for
abusing him. with threats TO vote against its
return TO power, as the Amalgamated Associa-
tion can demand that the President OF the
United States should take a hand in the busi-
ness quarrels of a private organization If he
did he would indeed be the emperor that ex-
cited imagination had pictured and American
liberties would be in danger. If he could call
on Mr.. Morgan to grant the demands of certain
strikers, which may be just or unjust. because
his political interests favor the breaking of the
strike he could call any other citizen or
body of citizens TO conduct their private busi-
ness TO suit him, and could threa ten to the
power of the government against them IL they
refused No President of the United States has
ever made any such essay in imperialism, and
If he were to try ii now with Mr.. Morgan the
latter might properly tell him that he was at
tending TO his own business as banker, and
that the President should attend to his as the
administrator of the laws of the United States.