The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-10-06

"HE CONCLUSION, reached by
some, that President Roose-
Il velts conference with the
principals in the coal strike
was wholly Il failure, may be prema-
ture. That it failed of immediate result
so far as putting Il. stop to conditions
well described by the president as in
toerable, is true But ii has not failed
in setting great many people to think
ing, neither has it failed in very sharply
emphasizing the need of organized soci-
ETY. perfecting the lega! machinery by
which such enormous Interruptions of
the general welfare may be either
averted or promptly settled when the
interest of the publc-the party para
mount-becomes superior to that of
either belligercnt.
The presidents action. unofficial and
personal as it confessedly was, and
foreign to any power inherent in the
presidential office, more clearly than
ever before in American history brings
within public comprehension the truth
that civilization needs to put on it's
thinking cap to devise and make effect
i've some workable plan more effectu-
ally to safeguard the public interest
against the Wanton losses and great in
flictions upon innocent persons caused
by wholesale civil wars in the field of
American industry. The homely say
ing, where there's Il will there's a
way has yet to be vindicated in this
direction; but it is inconceivable that
the wisdom of mankind in the twenti-
eth century of human enlightenment is
poWerless to improve upon the methods
OF past generations in protecting honest
industry and the general welfare.
We have clearly defined ideas as to
how this Improvement may be wrought,
and venture to predict that before the
American people have seen the last of
such disastrous strikes they will come
irresistibly to insist upon closer gov
ernmentM supervision of both the can
ital and the labor trusts or unions, re-
quiring, of each, Incorporation, regula-
tion in the public interest and accent
ance of court processes of adjusting
their differences. The tendency of the
times toward consolidation of industri-
al enterprise and union of forces work.
ing out the large business problems of
our generation cannot be stopped any
more than Niagara Falls can be
damned; but society cannot REQUIRE
that unions of capital shall be held un-
der the supervisory influence of gov
ernment restraint to guard against
abuse of public interests without ad-
mitting as necessary consequence the
equal need of equal supervision and re-
sraint over the great unions of labor,
which are not more exempt than are
the sunions of capital from liability to
mislnanagement, error and forgetful-
ness az the responsibility accompanying
power a,
This, however, is anticipatory of de-
velopments remote With regard to
the immediate problem-the coal strike
the presidents action has already
cleared part of the way to settlement.
1t has secured on both sides a recogni-
tion' of the reasOnableness of arbitra-
tion. John Mitchell proposed special
arbitration before commission with
sentiment and public opinion. The
operators pledged acceptance of arbi-
tratiori.of specific grievances before the
regular tribunals in which other issues
affecting life and property are passed
upon continuously. Here is 10 irrecon-
cilable difference. unless recognition of
Mitchelrs union is indispensable from
the mine workers standpoint. I'm
doubtedly such recognition is the
unions aim. Quite as undoubtedly IL
Is what the operators chiefly resist But
is 1t of sufficient Importance from the
public's standpoint to justify the far
reaching evils and sufferlngs OF coal
famine. with its misery distributed
throughout the United States?
This is the real question emerging
from the white house conference, and