Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-08-26
DISREGARD OF The PUBLIC.

UYShe0RnU TO1ItSs
The country has been much pleased
by the newspaper accounts of the warm
reception accorded by proprietors to
walking delegates whose attempt TO
call out the cooks andwaiters IN Chicago
restaurants failed Monday. None have
denied the right of the men to Strike
or OF the officers to notify them OF the
order in a proper fashion. What has
pleased the people IS that when the
walking delegates thrust themselves
into the eating houses where thousands
of hungry people, in nowise concerned
IN the strike. sat waiting to be fed and
attempted to deprive them CT their
necessary meal the capable proprietors
punched the business agents" heads
and threw them bodily outside with
rights and wrongs of cooks or proprle-
tors go the public failed to ask. 1t
was hungry and the walking delegate
IN his effort to punish the employers
was ready to punish the unfed thou
sands. too. Thus it was that the null
t,tude applauded while husky restau-
rant men lit upon the walking delegate
as bee upon a flower, beat In his race
with enthusiasm and soup bowls and
kicked him forth with unkind comment
npon his eyes and his ancestry He
lad threatened It's loaves and fishes. 1t
recognized the belligerent restaurant
Aeurs as public benefactors standing
Aetween 1t and starvation. and fellow
feeling of honest approval touched the
sountry at large which eats three times
. day. when 1t read the news. The
Scotch have proverb to the effect that
1t is i'll taking the bone from hungry
log.
An utter carelessness of the public's
comfort or discomfort seems to be an
lnfailing characteristic of strikes. This
X not confined to the strikers. but in
most cases includes the employers as
well. President Baer or the walking
delegate, as the case may be, thinks of
The matter in hand and lets the public
Ego to the devil" It's discomfort or
Expense is rarely taken into considera-
don. withstanding that upon the pub
lie both employer and workers must
depend.
In all this struggle between the two
great forces the public holds the real
balance of power. So far 1t has been
holding the sack but when Its patience
f. exhausted it will assert itself in q
dnal arbitrament 1t makes the laws
and its sentiment urges their enforce
msnt and makes law effective. This
iong-suffering public has in the long
run paid the costs of all the strikes, al
any rate of all the successful ones, and
Its approval means much.
This approval. let It be suggested to
labor leaders. is not to be gained by
driving hungry men from their din
ners, by rushing to the aid of such men
as Parks recently convicted in New
York of receiving money to call off
strikes and boycotts or BY an organized
opposition to enlistments in the state
the unions with responsibility for Parks
unless they assume such RESPONSE
bility by rushing to his defense and as
sistance. That they favor violence and
disregard of law is a charge against
unions the public will be unwilling to
accept. The fact that much disorder
is the usual accompaniment of gem
erai strike is history. however, and a
studied campaign against the states
mob quellers will go far to support the
enemies of organized labor In their as
sertion that unionism is the mother Of
riot Instead of opposing the militia
workingmen should join It. So far from
supporting Parks because he has been
its business agent the unions should
assist the law to punish him because he
is a scoundrel who has discredited them.
(. Public sentiment has been growing
q strongly IaFOTaDlS 10 llle
. contention for shorter hours and hon
est pay for honest work. 1t believes in
laEor's inherent right to organize for
its own benefit. but the unions can
very easily lose the good opinion and
confidence of the public by ill-advised
and arrogant action. When public SEN
1o|,
its cause is lost. and the walking dele
gate is beginning to wear on the public
patience. 1t is time organized labor
dismissed him for all time.
THE HAMBL ETONlAN HORSE FAKE.
Men who recall their experience of
fifteen years ago, when the country
went wild over the standard-b horse
( lnaipeSc whep evary doptor 1awyer