The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-07-28
ON LABOR TROUBLES.

I
| In the current number of Golfers
Mr.. Cleveland has an interesting article
on labor troubles. We call it interest
! ing because the thoughts presented are
well put, the suggestions are timely
and good, but it does not contain any
thing new nor does it open a new way
| for the settlement of labor troubles.
OF course what Mr.. Cleveland says
he says well. and the people have con-
! fidence in the advice which he gives,
whatever may be the subject on which
| he is called to speak, but as matter
of fact TIE subject of labor troubles
seems to have been entirely thrashed
out
Mr.. Cleveland says that employers
refuse often TO consider the just de-
mands Of their employees and that en-
ployes frequently make demands which
are unjust That will be admitted. He
further thinks that greater efforts
should be made to settle labor disputes
by means of arbitration. 1t is certain
that the whole country would rejoice
if such troubles could be settled in that
way. As Mr.. Cleveland well knows,
however, arbitration has been tried
and found wanting. As for compulsory
arbitration, neither employer nor en-
pioye wants it. The question arises,
however whether the public should
not insist upon compulsory arbitration.
It is the party that suffers most when
there is a strike.
One thing seems certain from the
revelations which are being made in
the trial that is now going on in New
York-the trial of a former secretary
and treasurer of the Stonecutters'
Union for the theft of $4,000 from the
union. The defense of this man is that
the money did not belong to the union,
but to certain employers of members
of the union. Therefore. 1t is claimed,
he cannot be convicted OF stealing from
the union. According to his contention
1t was the practice of the leaders Of
so unreasonable that employers
couldn't comply with them without
running the risk of being ruined finan-
cially. If the demands were refused
strike was ordered, and then an offer
was made to call off the strike for a
certain sum of money. 1t is said that
there are now fifty affidavits on file in
the office of the district attorney of the
county of New York in which employ
ers assert that they were blackmailed
out of thousands of dollars by leaders
of unions in this way. 1t 81 evident
that there is no honest and honorable
way to prevent OF to settle strikes as
long as this system prevails.
No doubt the condition of affairs
that is revealed by this trial in New
York will have the effect of opening
the eyes of working men. 1t will help
to make them see that they have more
to fear from corrupt men at the head
of their affairs than from employers.
AS a matter of fact half of the labor
troubles may be due to the efforts of
walking delegates and other officials
who seek opportunities to enrich them
selves by demanding from employers
large sums of money for bringing
strikes TO an end.
There are of course honest men at
the head of labor organizations, but If
working men would investigate thor
oughly for themselves, when ordered to
strike by walking delegates or other
officers having authority to give a
strike order, the chances are that there
would be fewer strikes than there are
and that strikes would be settled much
easier than they are at present.