Arizona republican., 1903-04-03
nan's Inability to Stand Prosperity

rlan's Inability to Stand Prosperity.
 The first day of April brought a sur prising number of strikes throughout the eastern states. In The Republican of yesterday were telegraphic accounts of fully a score of labor disturbances. increase of wages.
 At Chicago. more than 5000 men in different trades left their work. The tanners and the curriers'. the tailors. the excavating teamsters. the marine firemen. and the steamfitters went on strike-all of them except the tailors for higher wages. The tailors merely demand decent quarters in which to do their work. which is part of the oommendable campaign against the sweatshop evil
 At Cleveland, the painters struck for an increase of 21a cents an horr-
 At Pittsburg, the central trouble is. of course the strike of the structural iron workers in the bridge building plants-a strike which. if not speedily settled may spread to all branches of the iron trade and involve nearly half 8 million men. But aside from these trades, the strike of the furnace brick layers for an advance of 15 cents day, and of the wagon workers for an ad- vance of 15 per cent, is of considerable magnitude.
 At New York and at various towns in New Jersey and Connecticut. th- electricians. sheet iron workers and plumbers, and painters were out for higher wages.
 The strikes here cited are typical of nearly all the disturbances of which our news columns gave account. At q few points the recognition of the unions cut some figure, and the strike of 10000 bituminous coal miners was for readjustment of details of their work, but by and large, the thousands of men who left their work on the first of the month are demanding higher wages. Heretofore, May day has been considered the crucial date in indus trial affairs, and if the strikes begun on the first day of April make up the pre- Jude to more serious troubles a month hence. the country may well be con- cerned.
 It would be not only unfair but the merest folly, for anybody not familiar with the circumstances underlying these strikes to say what element CT justice is in them; it is impossible to give an opinion as to the merits of [. single one. The men in each cas- doubtless feel that they have complete justification for their action, but the significant feature to which we would direct the attention of our readers is that these strikes are incidental to the prosperity which now prevails every where in the land. At no place has there been reduction of wages III most cases there have been several ad- Vances during the past few years ten years ago, would have been con- sidered as opening the portals to an earthly paradise-wages to obtain which men would have fought if fight ing would have brought employment are now spurned as not to be thought of.
 Prosperity strikes" is the only term proper to apply to many of the dis turbances in the field of industry Frequently the colloQuial expression fa heard that this or that man 'cannot stand prosperity" and the expression reveals one of the mainsprings oG human error. The men in any walk of life who really know when they arc well off are unfortunately few. T. is extremely rare to find the man who knows when to let well enough alone. The attractive, humming watch is broken open in order to ''see the wheels go round" It cannot be doubted that number of the strikes which have oc- cured recently have been at the die tation of dena agogues and agitators ing the comforta ble situation of tie wage-earners, they should demand from their wicked employers a bigger share of the profits; and the arguments advanced have found willing ears, be- cause of the strange fact that prosper ity and 9 certain form of discontent go