Amador ledger., 1903-01-09
THE SPIRIT OF UNREST,

IL is characteristic OF human
nature to be dissatisfied with present
conditions. AS man advances in
civilization, this characteristic be-
comes more pronounced, but all men
whether savage or civilized, are gov.
erned more or less by this trait. Il
rules in every department of human
endeavor No matter in what call
ing man may be engaged, under
the powerful influence of this spirit
he wants to be moving onward. He
desires to be better prepared to fill
his life place tomorrow than he is
to-day. The human mind is never
satisfied. In science and literature
in the arts, in business and finance
tits ever reaching forward for higher
achievements. This is wholesome
feature. 1t is in fact the spirit ot
progress itself. To its mighty i'm.
pulses must be attributed all the
advancement the world has made
from the birth of the race. The
spirit that prompts man to do a
particular thing better than he has
ever done it before, or to do some
thing that his brother man has been
unable to do, is the lever that has
moved the world in all ages
This spirit, however, is not in
compatible with degree of content
ment. Indeed, unless it is tempered
and controlled by fair measure of
contentment, it becomes a source of
danger. The United States at the
present time is enjoying a period
of unprecedented prosperity. AS a
result the laboring classes of other
and less favored coun tries are flock
ing hitherward in great numbers.
This fact in itself is worldwide ac-
acknowledgement that the workers of
America are better off here than in
any other land under the sun. And
there can be no question that as
rule the laborers here are better
paid, better housed, and more we'll
to-do in every way, than those of any
other nation. Common labor in Cali
fornia commands 50. so, and mechan
les from So up. This record cannot
be equalled, much less beat, any
where. And at these high figures,
there is work for all who are able
and willing to work. This state of
affairs might with reason be expect
ed to bring about-not absolute sat
faction-but more contented spirit
than exists among the toilers of
less favored lands. But this is not
the case. On the contrary, there is
more friction between employers
and employees more antagonistic
feeling between labor and capital
in the United States than in any
country. The prosperity we have
enjoyed in recent years, instead of
allaying the irritation, has rather
brought it into stronger relief.
There has been an epidemic of
strikes all along the line. The era
of peace and harmony is apparently
as distant as ever. This brings US
back to our proposition, that man is
an Unsuitable being, no matter in
what department of human activity
his powers are brought into play.
Unquestionably, the general ten
dency of this perennial conflict be-
tween the forces of labor and CAPT.
tai has been for human betterment.
But the question arises, will it and
can it continue to be thus in pres
ence of an arbitrary or dictatorial
spirit manifested by either side.
We point to New Zealand as the
land where the labor question has
been solved by system of compulS
sorry arbitration. This roseate view
may safely be taken at a discount.
1t is doubtful whether the govern
ment interference by the institution
of an arbitration tribunal has helped
matters. The reports are altogether
too vague, and the conditions in that
distant land are so different from
those existing here, that a correct
opinion of the effects of the system
cannot be estimated as a guide for
action in the United States. We