The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-06-08
The REMEDY FOR STRIKES.
rbc Ne@por. News Press says:

lem must be settled. 1t is the DTopieIN
OF the age and 1t Will not be relegated
20 the background It affects every
man. woman and child in tho land re-
E:i.diess Of station and vocation. The
country Is kept in a constant turmoil
all Of the time. There is no end OF
strikes and there is no end of distur-
bance, nor is there any end to the !ncon-
venicnces and suffering that is entaiied
upon the public.
The proposition is concrete and vital.
Z The Issue IS insistent and pugnacious. 1t
cannot be escaped. The situation can
not be te,nporized with General and
definite action is demanded, and quickly.
The situation is indeed serious and a
menace to the prosperity of the country.
we have never had such prosperity per
haps as we are enjoying to-day in this
land of abundance and activity. Tho
Industries are as busy as they can be,
with orders far ahead; the railroads are
doing business to the full capacity Of
Their equipment, there is an active de-
snand for every dollar of money In the
banks and there is promise of abund-
an: harvest. But the whole country is
anxious. not to say alarmed, over the
rite mines in Pennsylvania are COM
pletely tied up and have been for the
past several weeks. The operators know
that they cannot work their mines with
saon-union labor except at the point OF
the bayonet, and so they have determined
to shut up shop and quit business. much
TO the Inconvenience Of their customers.
Indeed, it is with difficulty that they are
Securing hands to run their pumps and
80 keen the mines from flooding. They
are simply over-awed and beaten down
by the strikers.
The strike has now extended into the
bituminous coal regions of West Vir-
ginia, and while the miners are not as
well organized there as they are in Penn
sylyan;a, a large number Of them be-
long to the union, and it would appear
from reports that most Of the union min
ers. have quit work. In some cases the
collieries have been shut down and the
supply of soft coal from these mines
will undoubtedly be curtailed-
If this were simply q contest between
country at large would give small at
tention to the strike. But our great in
drstries are dependent upon coal, and IL
the coal supply should be shut off the
Industries would have to suspend. If the
coal supply is materially curtailed
The Industries will be Inconvenience, TO
say nothing of the consequent increase in
the price of fuel, which enters as most
important factor in all manufacturing
enterprises.
We have too much faith in the good
sense of the people of the United States
TO believe that they are going to strike
such a blow as this at their own vital
Interests, and SO we are encouraged to
believe that settlement Of this difficulty
Is not far off. In the meantime. how
ever. as we have said. there is anxiety
and there is alarm, and it is reckless for
us thus to trife with our prosperity.
Replying directly to the remarks Of our
Newport News contemporary, 1t is i'm
possible to prevent strikes in great
country like ours. If men do not choose
to work they cannot be made to work.
uf men choose to organize for their own
protection and for the advancement of
their interests there is no way under
our system of laws to prevent It If
men thus organized choose to quit work
At is their right and privilege to do SO.
and any law which should restrain them
would not be tolerated for long. A great
deal has beeh said about compulsory ar
bitration That is not only impracti-
cable. but the liberty-lovirg men of these
United States resent the bare idea of
such a thing. When there are differ
enccs between man and man concerning
the terms upon which one should work
for tho other st is rank usuTpation for
the Government to step in and force them
TO an agreement against their Will. And
even II the Government should do this
the agreement would not be worth much
md would not stand for long. When
American sovereig.ls are at odGs with
one another under these conditions they
must settle IN their owl, way. CT The set
Element Will not be settlement at all,
we believe that the nearest approach
10 "a remedy for strikes is to be found
in the legalized incorporation Of labor
unions. If eaci, and every labor union
of this country would get a legal charter
and so hold themselves responsible in
law for the acts of their members and
hold themselves responsible in law for
their contract agreements, the problem.
ST not solved, would be greatly simpli-
fed. We believe, TOO, that this would be
the very wisest step that labor orsani-
cations could pursue. II they We're
duly incorporated and responsible in law
men who employ labor woald be all the
more ready 10 deal with labor organiza-
lions and make agreements with them
from year 10 year for labor at a fixed
scale. 1t would be worth a great deal
10 a business corporation to know that
it could depend for a given length of