Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1901-07-17
THE STEEL TRUSTS
LABOR TROUBLES
cleveland Leader }

N'ipN'ihHu fJthu'i'l
Millions of Americans believe in the
principle for which the officers of the
great steel trust say that the immense
corporation they control is standing
which is the right TO employ union or
non.union men at pleasure giving both
classes the same pay for the same
work and forcing no employe into any
organ nizatlon against his will.
Other millions Of American citizens
believe in the cause for which
the Analgamated Association is con
tending, agreeing fully with President
Shaffer in his assertion that great cor
porations which monopolize the forces
of production In n wide industrial, field
make II necessary for wage earners to
meet them with an equally comprehen,
siye and exclusive union.
This difference of opinion Is old and
very strong. 1t is not likely to he re-
moved by anything which may happen
in the present struggle between labor
and capital. The opposition of ideas
and interests is too radical.
But there are other, and more i'm
portant points connected with the great
strike in the steel mills which almost
all intelligent men agree about com
pletely. One is the far.reaching and
extremely serious injury which the gen
eral business of the country must sus-
tain as the result of quarrel between
one corporation and part of its en-
ployes. Another is the grave danger Of
POLITICAL social, and industrial unrest
and agitation, unsettling financial con.
dtions and breeding follies Of various
kinds, which may easily be involved
In such labor war as has begun. A
third point concerning which there viii
be no difference of opinion is that the
strike would not have taken place
or If 1t occurred would not have hac
one-quarter of it's present menacinl
scope and power for mischief, if thu
huge steel trust had never been formed
In that sense the dangers, losses
and uneasness connected with the
present struggle between labor ant
capital may all be charged to the ac
count of the trust-builders. They have
said that the immense aggregatlons OF
capital which they created meant SAT,
and staple conditions for American in
dustrles. They have told the country
that they were insuring the peaceful
; orderly, and regular growth of the iror
7 aud steel business and were freeing II
from the harassing and unsettlin;
, changes which had often disturbed tn,
course of the markets, under compctl
=, tive conditions. And now they Civ,
0 the country an immense strike, will
all its grim possibilities, as the frs
a proof of the soundncss of thc
$ theories and the accuracy of their pre-
dictlons.
The labor phase of the trust question
O is one of the most serious aspects o
q the whole problem II makes tn,
/ troubles of one company profoundl!
o affect the entire country. The hold o
!. American producers upon foreign mar
kets and our position In the intcrun
, tlonal rlvalries of the industrial worl,
,. may he determined by the success o
failure OF n few men in dealing annie
o ably with great labor organizations.
o This danger ls'hardly to be escape,
o by any breaking down of the unions
n They will he sure to get more sym
S pathy In struggle against vast, mo
$ nopolistic trust than they could obtalI
n In any other strike, for the same cause
g which bring about war with trust AN
T tagonsts. The bigger the trusts rh
z greater the labor organizations an
l. likely to grow. One kind of union
L the natural Offset to the other. Re
e tween them, the outlook for the genera
t interests of the American people !
not ms comfortable as II ought TO bC
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