The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1903-05-07
The Matter of Strikes.

editorial column,l
The Matter Of Strikes.
To strike or not to strike seems 70
be the question to be decided by the
Great Northern trainmeu. 1t is con-
ceded that this is the matter on which
a vote is now being taken all over the
system, and the result will be awaited
with not a little interest throughout
the Northwest.
The particular matter of disagree
ment at this time is the compensation
10 be paid trainmen for work on dou-
b,e.header trains. After a long con.
ference, in which all the subjects in
controversy were thoroughly gone
over, agreement was reached on every
point except this, and on this both the
committees representing the employees
and the general manager of the road
remained firm. The conference was
therefore broken off, and the men are
now voting on whether they will ac-
cept the situation as IL now Is or not.
General Manager Ward has issued
q pamphlet in which the proceedings
at the conference are reported, and
the summary of the contents of that
pamphlet, so far as they apply to the
question at issue, is given in another
column. Still more briefly stated, the
controversy resolves itself into this
The trainmen claim that the com
pany, by running trains with two en-
gines and only one train crew, is Inn
posing work on the single train crew
that would ordinarily be performed
by two, with a proportionate increase
of responsibility. The idea seems to
be that any train too heavy for one
engine is too heavy for one train
crew. They demand, therefore, either
that the practice of double-heading
shall be discontinued or that the train
crews employed on this work shall re-
ceive double pay.
The company claims that there is
practically no double-heading done on
the road except on the mountain di-
visions, where an additional engine is
sometimes employed to help heavy
trains over the steep grades, and that
the company is expanding large sums
OF money to avoid even this. Mr. Ward
admits that the men have a right to a
voice in the decision of questions af-
fecting their comfort, wages and con
ditions of work, but denies that any
Of these elements enter into the ques-
ton Of double-heading on the Great
Northern road. He says tNat the
company cannot permit the employees
TO dictate as to the makeup of trains.
as that is solely an administrative
matter.
AS in all questions of this kind
there is a third party which is in,
tensely interested in the question, the
general public. The public Is inter
ested primarily in the regular running
Of trains, that business may be car
ried on with the least possible delay
and inconvenience. For that reason
the public is always injured by a
strike. At the same time the public
is interested in the fair Compensation
OF all who serve 1t, whether as owners
OF railroads or as employees thereon.
strike is an act OF war. War is
when Il is the only means left for the
prevention of abuse or the accom-
plishment of reforms. But for war to
be justifiable there must be an ade-
quate cause. 1t would be inexcus-
able for nations to appeal to force for
the settlement of a trivial question.
Similarly the precipitation of a strike
without sufficient cause would not be
viewed patiently by the great ship
ping and travelling public which must
suffer the Inconvenience and eventu-
ally pay the bills. In the present
case there does not appear to be any
thing Of real value to either of the
parties involved in the controversy.
II does not appear that the question is
OF sufficient Importance to warrant re-
sort to extreme measures.