The Tucson citizen., 1902-06-16
COMPULSORY ARBITRATION.

The present trouble between the coal
miners and operators in Pennsylvania
and the Njrginias and the late conflict
between the teamsters and the meat
packers in Chicago. point unerrring'y
to the necessity OF an arbitration Law
and its enforcement by government,
Commenting on the late Chicago strike
the Record Herald OF that city oh
se:ves
What satisfactory excuse have the
packers or the striking teamsters for
carrying their differences to the strike
line-involying the whole community
in distressing and costly consequences
and inviting such scenes of riot and
bloodshed as our streets have wit
messed this week without first ex-
hansting every resource of conference
and mutual concession?
Our Chicago contemporary should
have asked Why does not the public
protect itself from these constantly
recurring troubles by providing by Law
for the arbitration of labor troubles ?
The people make the laws in tnis
country. They are the chief sufferers
from labor troubles. Chicago, acco d.
ing to all accounts, suffered seveic'v
for several days by the late strike
And why? Simply because the people
Of Illinois have not provided for the
settlement of such controversies by
competent tribunals. They have Virtu-
ally said to capital and labor III
you can not agree you must fight your
Quarrels out"
Human beings are not slow to take
that sort of instruction The first in
stinct is to fight Even when the
law provides remedies this tendency is
shown. There are many men who.
especially in case of injury that in
wolves insult or degradation, consider
II humiliating TO adopt the legal rem
edies instead OF resorting to personal
violence. What, then. is to be e2.
pected when the law provides no rem
~NJ - iiiAJ W vi gu Niidl We nav Z
voluntary arbitration; but what does
that avail If either party objects to
arbitration?
There is something astounding IN
tie way that most rt representatives. %
,apital and labor oppose compulsory
art dratiOn They seem to think there
1af h iY1ry on, Il "a,
lations of employment And yet they
apply this reasoning to nothing else
What is nearer to man than hi.
home? Yet under the plea of public
necessity railroad may condemn II
and lay tracks through It, What is
dearer than his children? Yet il d
man does not care for them properly
there Is legal process to take them
away from him. What is more sa.
cred than the relation of man and
wife? Yet the law provides tha,
either may bring the other into court
and force a settlement OF differences
even to sundering the marriage rela
tion.
Why should there not be a tribuna
"a court-to which either side may
apply for the settlement OF a labor
question, and force the other side tc
come in and submit to the decision
1t Is that or miniature war in which
the public is the chief sufferer 1t is
useless to stand by as strike after
strike occurs, and more or less incon-
venience and loss to the public result
and blame the parties for not arbi-
trating OF course that is the sensible
thing for them to do, but If you want
them to arbitrate. why not make them
arbitrate? Or rather, why do you not
enable one side to force the other to
arbitrate? That is the rational way
out OF the situation.
a