The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-07-18
The Street Railway Situation.

< @HE EXECUTIVE committees
of the Street Railway En-
Il ployes' union and the Cen
trail Labor union acted WISE
ly in deferring until Saturday the de-
cision as to whether there shall be an
other street car strike. They are to be
commended for moving slowly in a
matter so vitality affecting the public
convenience. Candor requires us to say
that the temper of many of the men
concerned in the former strike is IA
, vorabe to a repetition of that unfortu-
nate episode. They are not anxious to
strike and their experience with strikes
has not been calculated to populariZe
that method of settling differences, yet
they feel so strongly that they have
been imposed upon that they are in
danger of acting rashly.
In this situation The Tribune repeats
that the wise thing to do is to call in
the services of a disinterested outside
tribunal to hear the views of the par
ties in controversy and render a deci-
sion as to the facts. If the street car
mems union were an incorporated Or
ganization, it could appeal to the courts
for construction of its con tract with
the traction company. BY action
brought, the whole matter could be sub
iected to thorough investigation jul
Gicially, an advantage which must
sooner or later. in our judgment. COM
mend the idea of incorporation to pru-
dent leaders of organized labor. This
advantage being now inaccessible, the
next best thing is arbitration. 1t is
foolish to say that there is nothing to
arbitrate. The last strike ended in
written settlement, together with cer-
tain verbal representations on the part
of those who acted as go-betweens.
This written document and these repre-
sentations have since become the basis
of radical difference of construction.
Somebody has been misinforned. Arbi-
tration would provide peaceful means
of determining who.
The letter which we printed yester-
day from Conductor Miller. of Dunmore
"a letter which we suspect was written
-
the newspapers of Scranton of "cod-
ding a lot of bumps" thereby meaning
we suppose, union men and labor lead
ers. There has been no coddling by
The Tribune; on the contrary, The
Tribune has more often incurred their
displeasurc than their favor. 1t is
wholly Indifferent TO the professional
side of labor agitation and if the quar-
rel were limited to Silliman, Shea, ct.
al, we should be content to let them go
off somewhere and fight it out to the
finish of both. But fair and candid
dealing between employer and employed
is an issue higher than personalities.
1t is necessary TO peace in any COM
munity, and especially necessary after
the friction which has characterized the
recent affairs of the Scranton Railway
company, When the strikers signed the
recent peace agreement they We're led
to believe that seniority as used in the
agreement antedated the strike. Now
they learn that it meant nothing of the
kind. Playing smart with men in sub
ordinate position is not the way to win
their confidence or respect. No matter
how much they may have erred, it is a
contemplate policy which takes ad-
vantage of superior power to infict
studied retaliation. The men believe
that this has been Mr., Silliman's poll
icy. They may be and doubtless are
mistaken. But in any event 1t would
contribute to peace to have the facts
made plain through arbitration. if the
alternative is to be another yeXatious
and obnoxious strike, and this, we fear,
is the case now.I