The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-04-08
Majesty's ministers who live at Amster-
dam, were unable to go down to a cabinet
meeting at The Hague.
E5n2 J sl# Cause ~ %h> S%rIke t&=

Majesty's ministers who live at Arnster-
dam. were unable to go down to a cabinet
meeting at The Hague.
Cause OF the Strike.
THE cause of this first strike was not
any special movement upon the part OF
capitalists. Trusts and trade combina-
lions were not responsible. There are
very. few trusts in Holland. The diamond
industry. that employs 1000 persons In
Amsterdam, is dependent, of course, upon
the great trust maintained in South At
RIGA by the De Beers Consolidated Mining
company. Peat. used everywhere for fuel
In the form of briquettes. is in the hands
of one concern. The sale Of coal Is gov
.erned by a German monopoly rather than
Ia trust. Yet the Dutch are so tenacious
OF their individual rights that these mo-
nopolfes have seldom dared to attempt
any imposition upon their employees or
the public. Coal for example, Is sold
for less than 81 a ton and the smokeless
briauettes are about half the price.
'Fhe real disturbing, factor. believe,
has been the growing socialism. The
numerous Dutch socialists are in close
touch with the socialists Of Germany and
are very active in politics. They have
many adherents or representatives In the
'tweede karner' or Dutch house Of COM
mons. The general proposition on which
the socialists proceed is that labor Is not
goods. wouldn't try to discuss that sub
ject with reference to Holland. can
only say that landlords--almost all Dutch
farms are occupied by tenant farmers
landlords usually count on receiving about
per cent interest on the value Of their
lands. The wages Of skilled mechanic in
Holland are about Is guilders a week, that
is, 81 day A farmland gets $40 year,
or less than IS a month, with board and
lodging. and a suit Of clothes free every
twelve months. -.-.-., z.-.'s
Holland Is Shocked.
''rhe idea that laborers should refuse
to labor Mortified a good part of Holland.
Such thing had never been heard Of ex-
cept among the outsiders. And 1t
was equally disturbing to see the wind
mills stop and the canal boats tie up. A
Dutchman may not like to have things
move too lively. but to have them stop
entirely In quite another matter.
THE government took vigorous &C
ton. DR.. Kuyper. the premier acted with
true Dutch determination. He proposed a
law directed against strikes OF any kind
whatever and calculated to make them
impossible And 1t Is In protest aga inst
this measure. which has not yet been
adopted, that the present struggle has
begun. . :.,.' d.
Both Of the two principal lines of Dutch
railways are already tied up understand,
except that foreign mails are moving un-
der military protection. 1t isn't true, as
some newspapers here have said, that the
Dutch railroads are managed by the gov
ernnent The : Dutch railway line is
owned and operated exclusively by pri-
vate enterprise, and the State railway.
so-called Is leased by the government to
private concern which operates it.
Matters would be bad enough if only
the Netherlands were concerned. But that
separate unit, except politically. 1t is an
integral part OF commercial and indus
trial Europe.
1.-The seaports of Holland are most in
timately identified with the commerce Of
Germany, so immense is the trade that
passes thru Holland to and from the in
terror of Europe The mail route thru
Holland is one of the most important up
on the continent. Any interruption to
transportation facilities. in Holland will
be felt far beyond the borders OF the
Results May Be Far Reaching.
IF the strike spreads. the great Dutch
cities will suffer vast Inconvenience. The
municipal employees in Amsterdam might
easily : be involved. They might shut
off the gas supply, the water supply,
the, electric light service, the tele-
stopped. Pretty nearly the whole city
would feel the erect IN It's daily lie.
Amsterdam. more than any other city in
Europe. except Glasgow, has. extended
municipal ownership to all public utilities.
Promises Not Enough. '7
81 shouldn't undertake to suggest how
this widespread difficulty will be adjusted.
The Hollanders are so peaceful, SO law
abiding, SO conservative, SO patriotic. that
the very existence Of national strike
is sufficiently remarkable. After all,
however, the disturbance is as yet purely
local to Holland and all discussions as
to possible international complications
are. to say the least, at this time pre-
mature. Knowing and admiring the
Dutch people, as do after four years of
daily contact with them have no doubt
personally Of their ability to settle their
own questions in their own way. -.
THE great test of socialist and labor
strength is likely to come on May Day.
When left Holland the people were say
ing: Look out for the first of May!''