West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1903-06-04
LET STRIKES BE ABOLISHED,

public has an exceptional stake, and
it can no longer tolerate the strike
methods. For that matter, strikes
are fast becoming as obsolete
mode of regulating wages and secur-
ing the welfare OF workmen as are
wars in the establishment of just
relations between the governments
and peoples of the earth. When
one looks beneath the surface, it
becomes fortunately evident, in this
country, that the strong tendency is
toward the use of reasonable and
conciliatory methods. The agency
OF such bodies as the Civic Fedora
ton, quietly exerting their influence
for industrial peace, is steadily
bringing about the hopedfor period
when labor wars will be at an end.
Mr.. Carnegie, in very felicitous
speech, on May 2, as president of
the British Iron and Steel Institute,
urged the advantage of a closer
partnership relation between en-
ployers and men, and pointed out
the value of sliding-scale wage
arrangements and analogous devices.
A week later, Mr.. Oscar S. Straus,
as president of the American Social
Science Association, made notable
address on industrial peace, at
Boston. In many manufacturing
industries, it has been found possible
TO jastify high wages by bringing
about a remarkable increase in the
efficiency of labor. One of the
great difficulties in the building
trades, as in less skilled employ
ments, is the tendency of unionism
to keep everything on dead level,
and not only to prevent the ex-
ceptionally able man from deriving
any advantage from rendering val
liable services, but to bring the
average of efficiency down some
where near the level of the com
paratiyely slow and ineffective work
man. This is not in accordance
with the American spirit; aud
although remedies are not easy,
some way must be found to give
incentive to mechanics and ordinary
workmen to improve results both in
quantity and quality.
The most chronic and vexatious
of the labor troubles affecting
American towns and cities during
the present season have been those
of the building industries. In these
trades, unionism seems to have
gone well-nigh daft. Its exactions
have become so tyrannical that the
best friends of organized labor have
well-tigh lost patience. Thus, in
New York, for many weeks past,
immense building operations ag-
gregating scores OF millions of
dollars have been completely tied
up through the fact that the
carpenters happened to be organized
in two rival unions, namely, the
Arnalgamated Society of Carpenters
and Joiners, and the United Brother
hood OF Carpenters and Joiners. 1t
is putting i mildly to say that the
behavior of these unions has been
idiotic. Il has been much worse
than idiotic, because ithas prevent
ed thousands of wholly innocent
men in other trades from earning
their daily bread. Speaking in
general, the demands of the build
ing trades have been marked by
ignorance and shortsightedness, and
II is hard to escape the conviction
that these unions must be extremely
unfortunate in the quality Of the
leadership to which they submit
The weather Of the present season
mas been the finest for building
operations that New York and
sicinity have known for many years.
The spring opened very early, and
he weather has been rnarvelously
fair aud favorable. Yet carpenters,
nasons. plumbers, roofers, and
kindred craftsmen Of many brother.
FOODS have been walking the streets
all the season, harming themselves
and everybody else.
The Labor Unions are getting so
n