The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-06-04
COURTS OF ARBITRATION.


To the Editor Of the Indianapolis Journal
1t seems to me that the Journal is very
rarely so wide of the mark as in the edi-
torial of June 8, in which it urged a court
OF arbitration 70 settle differences as to
wage rates between the employer and the
employe, whether the employee be a farm
hand or factory hand or whether he be a
minister a miner. for we can draw no
line as to occupations; the miner or the
factory hand has no rights" that are not
equally sacred to all other employees; hence
the law must be general and the court
must be equally open TO all. Your posi-
ton can be based on no other assumption
than that the employee. whether minister or
miner. belongs to the employer. and a court
should be instituted to enforce the en-
ployer's rights This is so un-American
to be revolving. If the minister or the
miner is under contract at given wages
for a given time our present civil courts
have power to enforce the contract but
such engagements are usually without time
limit. though wage rates may be specified
Now, If the employer, the congregation or
the mine owner wishes to reduce wages or
the minister or the miner wants them in
creased. to drag either the minister or the
miner before court of arbitration 20 settle
the question of rates and then to compel
the minister or the miner to work at the
wage the court may decide upon is a new
departure in American Jurisprudence which,
L sure, the American people will never
consent to- The congregation does not own
the minister nor the mine owner the miner
When the time of employment ends the
contract ends, and IL there is no time limit
IL may end at any time. ordinary business
courtesy requiring reasonable notice, and
either the employer or the employee is at
liberty TO withdraw from further co-opera-
ton. II any new court law or new
construction of old laws is required IL is
that the retiring minister or miner shall
not modest the new minister or the new
miner that takes the vacated place: and
the congregation or the mine owner should
not be permitted to blacklist the retiring
minister or miner unless public good re-
Quires it. There is no such relation exist
Ing between the employer and the employc
will justify any such court as the Jour-
nal suggests. for court without authority
TO enforce Its decisions is a farce we can
not afford to create: and our people will
never be driven to work when they do not
want TO except as punishment for crime.
The Journal, whether intending IL or not
gives the key TO the whole situation What
ever of wrong there may be in the rail-
roads involved in the anthracite troubles
no part of the remedy is to be found in
making the cost Of the poor mans fuel any
greater than IL is by increasing the cost OF
mining IL. These wrongs-and they are
many and great-can be remedied, and they
must be, without any further oppression
OF the poor man. The Journal truly saws:
THE many thousand consumers have some
rights In Such disputes when they affect the
industries and employments of millions
OF people. The strike has caused an
advance in the price OF coal at time when
prices are already exorbitant." There Is
no greater popular fallacy than that such
a strike, or any strike, IS a war against
capital; IL is a war against the consumer
OF the output of the industry affected not
one OF the middle men, whether plant owner
or operator or railroad, being seriously af-
fected. In this anthracite strike IL is the
millions OF consumers. not OF coal only but
II Is absurd 10 assume that any trust a
beef trust or labor trust, can forever sue
cessfully put prices OF any indispensable
article inordinately high. There is a limit
10 the power TO purchase; when that comes
the poor have TO suffer. Suppose the time
shall come. IL certainly must come when
the income or the unskilled laborer and the
nonunion people will not allow even present
prices OF coal or of any other unionized in
decree a decrease in the wages of the ple-
thoric industries-what court on earth can
enforce Its DEGREES reducing wages? And
after all. IL Is not the owners OF plants or
of mines or OF anything now in the seeth-
ings or strike viOlences that are at the bot
tom OF the riots which are disturbing the
Industrial world: IL Is the struggling OF
those many thousand consumers the
Journal refers TO 10 have chance 10 live
and they are shut out from union-protected
labor everywhere. Some day some way
greater than the Sherman antitrust law
will tackle the most cruel trust in the
world the trust that enhances the cost of
everything that goes into life and allows
only a few 10 work at profitable industries
indianapolis. June 5. l. l.. SEE.