The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-07-18
yERMs OF SUBSCRIPTION.
POSTAGE PREPAID.
Friday, July Is, 1902.
HE DEADLOCK IN CHICAGO.

= The prospects tina existed several
days ago of a settlement of the freight
handlers strike in Chicago have van
ished and there is now a deadlock be-
tween the railroads and their striking
employees, both sides seemingly deter
mined to fight it out to the bitter end.
As the press dispatches announce,
the contest is over a half cent an hour
in the wage scale. This amounts to
$500 every twenty-four hours, to be paid
by t~wenty-four railroads and divided
among 10000 employees. In the mean
time the business men of Chicago are
suffering a loss, they claim, of 81, 00O, 900
a day and the wholesale business of
the city is completely paralyzed. The
business men are of course chatting
under this condition of affairs so disas-
trOus to them.
In n meantime the railway officials
have notified the strikers tina they
will have no further negotiations with
them. They go farther than this, they
announce that in the future when any
OF their employees, strike no populations
from the strikers will be given a hear
ing.
At the beginning of this strike the
railway officials refused to consult with
the committee of the Freight Handlers
Union. declining to recognize the labor
organization, but declared their will
ingness to receive committees repre-
senting their former employees as indi-
Viduals Sue committee were appoint
ed and went before the railway au-
thCrIties. These the latter now refuse
to negotiate with. In other words the
railway officials say to their employees
that in future they have got to take
what lne railways choose to offer and
10 work under such terms as they die
tate, and no attention will be paid to
any claims of grievances the latter
may bave. They are to do as the rail-
ways say or not work at all.
The strikers claim that their services
are worth II 1-2 cents an hour and
that they Will work for no less and hat
any communication to them from the
railroads hereafter must come trough
Inc OLlcerS or their union.
Every employer has the right to say
what he will pay for certain work and
to make rules and regulations for the
performance of hat work, and men
who do not think the pay sufficient or
object to the regulations have a perfect
hight to quit work. The rights of the
parties are mutual. Where though the
business is of the kind and of the great
magnitude as that involved in this
strike, effecting the business of thou
sands of people, some hough should
be given by both sides to these third
parties. By reason of the dependence
of the public upon the railroads at the
present day they have become quasi
public institutions and the public has
the right to demand hat these rail-
roads give them the necessary service.
These corporations have not the right
to block the business of a large section
of our country just because they have
a dispute with some of their employees.
There should be some means of COM
polling these railroads TO give the SER
vices the necessities of the public de-
mand. These corporations are granted
privileges because of the fact that they
are servitors of the public, and they
should be made to respect the rights
of the public and made to know that
they annOt throw the business ma
chinery of the whole country out of
gear just of matters personal
to themselves. There should be a law
for settling such strikes, a law that
looks more to protecting the interests
of the people han those of the corpora
tons. Arbitration boards can do no
good where one party 10 the strike de-
clines to arbitrate.
Congressman LittlefieId is now ready
RI raNaiuo SrrUoSfinno o- 20 Hou- 80 l-oft