The labor world., 1902-08-16
MAY BE AVOIDED.

In the August American Federation-
ist Samuel Gompers replies to a recent
article in the New York Evening Post
in denunciation of the sympathetic
strike After outlining the principles
of such strikes Mr.. Gompers concludes
in the following paragraphs:
Most Of the anti-sympathetic strike
talk is SO loose and confused that it
is next to impossible to deal with it
systematically. When everything else
fails, strikers are denounced in sweep
ing terms as laWless, disorderly lot.
habitually resorting to personal vio-
lence and assaults on property. This
impresses the thoughtless and preju
diced but it cannot deceive the intll-.
ligent and judicious. No labor usilssfi
or officer has ever advised, encouraged
or even tolerated violence in. strikes of
any sort, and there is no issue here to
discuss profitably. 5
Assume that sympathetic strike
of any, proportions is passive and
peaceable, and then the question
whether it is moral or immoral, inn
proper or anti-social, fairly arises. So
presented, those capable Of logical
reasoning will answer the query in the
only way in which it can be answered.
TT may be added, on a lower plane,
of argument, that frantic cries to stop
sympathetic strikes are idle and vain.
No legislation can be framed or en-
forced that would prevent or suppress
sympathetic strikes, while permitting
the other (what we have called the
1;,,r ~, of .t,~i1y f +
Imagine an extreme casa law
saying that no man shall ever. Quit
work except for a personal grievance;
would not such law be as barren
and void in practice as it would be ty-
rannical in intent? Can not the man
who wishes to strike sympathetically
allage or invent a personal grievance?
What is to prevent him from making
a demand for higher pay or shorter
hours at the precise moment when he
is expected to quit in aid of fellow
workmen. This hint sufficiently dis
closes the absurdity of the attempted
distinction between strikes of the two
kinds named.
"Organized labor has the highest re-
gard for contracts and agreements en-
tered into with employers, and seldom
violates them. Our contemporary
might Well turn it's shafts of criticism
toward the employers who so glibly de-
clare that there is nothing to concede,
nothing to arbitrate, and who lock out
their employees, where no grievance OF
any kind exists between themselves
and their employees, merely out Of sym
pathy for another employer who may
be engaged in a controversy with his
employees. o..
The employers who dislike sympa-
thetic strikes can do a great deal to
reduce their number and severity by
adopting the following methods;
''By treating their worlmen as self
respecting, independent men should be
treated.
"By repudiating the Borrbons who
still persist in antideluvian talk
against recognized unions!'
"By creating a general sentiment in
favor of equity to organized labor, and
of conciliation and arbitration.
Until they have done that the sym
pathetic strike will remain a part of
labor's plan af campaign; will be en-
ployed when necessary or essential to
labor's protection against aggressive
capitalists who openly or covertly aid
those who make war on US.
In fact it may become more and
more prominent as the solidarity OF
labor finds expression in compact,
great, organic federations of various
trade unions.
Labor will relinquish none of its
legal and moral weapons to oblige its
enemies
/.