Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1902-09-17
SYMPATHY STRIKES.
SAMUEL GOMFsRS SAYS THEY ARE
BOTH LEGAL AND MORAL

some strikes May ne Foolish. bu,
Nose Is Uniswfui-As to Violence
Labor Union Omcisls Never Advise
or Encourage IL.
Few earnest thinking men In the Ia.
Dor movement advocate strikes. In
fact. nearly all endeayor by honora ble
means TO avoid and avert them. There
are fewer still who advocate sylnpa-
thetic strikes. We are not concerned.
however, with the consideration of
strikes or sympathetic strikes per Sc.
but their legal and moral aspects.
What is "A sympathetic strike? 1t is,
strike OF men without a personal or
material grievance in support of other
men on strike for personal. self regard
Ing ends. Is such a strike Illegal.
Certainly not. AS have said a hun
dred times, and as the courts concede.
man may quit work for any reason
whatever, good. bad or indifferent.
Ii A. strikes to help r.. his act may
be foolish or wise, but il is not Grim
inal. Not all sympathetic strikes are
expedient and wise. but exactly the
same thing may justly be said OF th,'
other kind of strikes.
Are personal or self regarding strikes
dangerous To society: No sane man
will answer yes. III they were. The
right would not cXiSt-woUld not be
recognized or conferred by law. But
neither the law nor the moral code
makes any distinction between a self
regarding ana am altruiStic or synpa-
thetic strike: hence The latter kind Is
as lawful ami moral AZ the former
The question Of CNpcdicucy muSi d.,
determined i'm each particular case in
the light OF the facts. precisely as in
the other class Of strikes
No general principle exists To show
us in advance what strikes are rc.-
sOnable. likely To succeed and well al
vised and what are foolish and fore
doomed 10 failure. The question Of
law and morals il, however. Il general
question. it depends on NO special
facts. assert without fear of contra
dictiOn that sympathetic strikes. like
selfish strikes. are lawful and morally
proper when orderly and p,aceablr
and nOninvaSive.
Where is The sympathetic strike to
cnd:" asks ~ New York paper There
is a natural and economic limit To amy
strike. Unions. like other human
bodies. have To consider the prohabil-
| ity Of success. the means at their d;s-
/ poSal. the reaSonahlcneSS of this OF
that step. Ia Ibis hc deemed INSULT
cicnt pre-. cction" against universal
and interminahle strikes. invite the
critics To put forward am alternative.
Where would they draw the line on
strikes: Al what point would legality
end and criminalty begin i'm mere
passive suspension OF work. The quc..-
/ tions are unanSwerable. as little Ic
Election will show. In fact. most OF the
antiSympathctic strike talk is ~ loosc
and confused that it is next 10 impoS
sible To deal with it systematically.
When everything else fails. strikers
are dcnOunc> Il i'm sweeping terms as
lawlc>S disordcrly lot. habituany re
sorting To personal violence and as
saults on property. This impresScs the
thoughtless and prejudiced. but il cam
not deceive the intelligent and judi
cious. No labor union or officer has
ever advised. encouraged or even toll
u
and there is no issue here TO discuss
profitably.
1t may be added on the lower plane
of argument that frantic cries TO stop
sympathetic strikes are idle and vain.
No legislation can Ice framed or en-
forced that would prevent or suppress
sympathetic strikes. while permitting
the other Cvhat l have called self re-
gardingl kind Of strikes
Imagine an extreme case. Il law say
ing that 10 man shall ever quit work
except for personal grievance. Would
not such a law Ice as barren and void
In practice as il would he tyrannical
In intentt Cannot the man who wishes
TO strike ~ alphabetically allege or in
vent personal grievance What is To
prevent him from making demand
for higher pay or shorter hours at the
precise moment when he is expected
TO quit i'm aid of fellow workmen? This
hint sufficiently diScloses the absurdi-
" Of the attempted distinction be-
tween 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 enemies might
well turn their shafts of criticism to
ward the employers who so glibly de
clare there is nothing to concede moth
Ing 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 with another employer who may
be engaged in Il controversy with his
employees.
The employers who dislike sympa-
thetic strikes can do Il great deal to
reduce their number and severity by
adopting the following methods:
BY treating their wOrkmen as self
respecting, independent men should be
treated.
BY repudiating the bourbons who
still persist in antediluvian talk against
recognizing unions"
BY creating II general sentiment in
favor of equity 10 organized labor and
OF Cancellation and arbitration.
Until they have done that the sym
pathetic strike will remain a part Of
labor's plan of campaign and will be
employed when essential to labor's pro
lection against aggressive capitalists
who openly or covertly aid those who
make war on us. In fact, il may be-
come more and more prominent as the
solidarity of labor finds expression in
compact, great. organic declarations of
various trade unions. Labor will re-
linquish none of its legal or moral