The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1902-06-24
The First Strike in History.

sprung from the same causes, involved
the same issues, was fomented by the
same interests and produced the same
results as the last.
| The story of that early emeute is re-
corded in the Chronicles of the Kings
of Israel, and the strike occurred just
as Rehoboam came to the throne, sue
ceeding his father, Solomon. Great in
dustrial operations were then carried
on by the king, to whom the common
people owed labor as we'll as military
service. 1t was by the hands of the
subject that cities were builded. pal
aces were reared, gardens were planted
and caravans were laden for distant
realms.
We are all familiar with the story of
Solomon's magnificence; but that mag
ni6cence cost tens of thousands of the
people ceaseless toll. A great empire
did not spring from the wilderness by
any magical art. 1t required years oi
unremitting toll, paid only in the pro-
lection which powerful sovereign can
afford his subjects.
But upon Solomon's death, when
Rehoboam came to Shechem to be ac-
knOwledged as succeeding to these
royal rights, the people, by their chosen
exponents, complained that the burdens
laid upon them were too onerous for the
advantages enjoyed. They would not
refuse to work for the royal occupant
of the throne, but they asked, with
some pardonable show of spirit, that
their hours of labor be shortened; that
the toll exacted of them be lessened,
and that their rights as well as their
duties should be taken into considera.
tion.
And then came the naughty, super.
cilious, exaspersting reply of the over.
lord. my father made your work long
and heavy, did he? 1 will make II
heavier than he ever dreamed of. u
And the result? Why, naturally, "a
strike" And ten-twelfths of all the
labOrers in the kingdom turned upon
their heels with the taunt, "We are go
ing home. Now you young striplings oil
the house of David see what you can dc
without u.s." And the outcome was q
breach OF amity, weakening of the
national forces, loss of prestige which
to this day has never been recovered
From what did it all spring? The
lc chronicler tells that it was because Re
hoboam "spake roughly" to these rep
resentatives of labor; and vain of hi.
authority wrought more disastrous
result than any war Of his own age.
How significant it is that during this
Exchange of boasts and threats there
was present one shrewd and cunning
agitator who was fomenting trouble fol
his own purposes. Jeroboan knew tina
if he could only get the royal heir t,
play the fool in refusing to arbitrate
he could egg on the embittered masse
to play the game out for his own advan
tage. He was ''the peoples friend.
He was the advocate of their claims
He would ''siand by them to the bite
end. They must never give in. Nov
was the time to regain their ancient an,
natural liberties. They must strik
now or forever be slaves" So the tel
tribes struck. And straightway the
marched off to Samaria under the lead
ership of Jeroboam; and in the en-
built for Jeroboam the capital they La
refused to erect for the surly fool de
scended from David and Solomon. A
of which goes to show that it pays bel
ter to be smooth demagogue than
bumptious prince. Which party gair
ed the first strike? Neither. The onl
one that made anything out of it wa
JerObOam, ''ths walking delegate.
He established second-class kingdom
built himself a cheap palace and sui
jected to his own aggrandizement tn
ten tribes who revolted from the kins
But neither kingdom ever attaine
the position that belonged to th
Davidic reign. They never held anon
the nations the respect that they pal
to the unified and unriven estate ,
Solomon. And as for Rehoboam, b
> lived to rue bitterly as tributar
prince of Egyt's lord the folly Of
trough word" when a soft answe
might have made the masses h
" friends. Two kingdoms were henc
. forth to exist side by side, each q thOl
{. in the others flesh, and each weak
r the presence of their common foe
/ What good came of it? Rehoboa
= gratified his pride. The people gra,
e. fed their revenge. Rehoboam wax,
re fat. But the strength Of Israel was f
L ever broken and her ancient splendor +
"A ever lost.
,e From that day to this, under eve
is form of government and all changes
r. society, strikes have taken place.
!. nine cases out of ten they have aris
no from sense of injustice. They ha
10 been brought to head by ill-manner
MT aud violent speech upon the part
men conscious of power; and they ha
H. been fomented by other men whose 81
hope of gain lay in the disturbing
= present relations. But in the e
neither of the original parties ey
gains all it seeks. For years, for ag
for generations it may be, millions
wretched sufferers have cause to reg
an outcome which might have be
avoided by the soft answer, the gen
word, the patient consideration of p
haps exaggerated complaints; ant
nation which ought to have led I