The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-05-05

results in which not alone Australia
but many other countries have shared,
The Australian ballot, for instance,
has been widely adopted elsewhere,
and the Australian system of registra.
tion of land titles promises to be sim
ilarly acceptable, Other experiments
have been disastrous, as q glance at
Australian history will show. 1t is q
fine thing for other progressive ooun-
| tries to have such laboratory for ex-
perirhents, but it is not always good
for the country which is the labora-
tory.
Socialistic experiments have been a
speciality with the Australians. Con-
ditions have been the best possible.
In new country, just being settled
and developed at period when oivili-
zation and thought had advanced al
most to the present stage in other
parts Of the world, with soil fertile
as could be asked for, socialistic ideas
have had an opportunity to spread
and have spread with an unpreoedent-
ed rapidity. Experiment afetr exper-
iment of socialistic import has been
tried. The latest move in that direc-
| tion has Just been made and where it
is to end and into what troubles it
will cast the Australian continent if
carried to its legitimate end, nobody
can tell.
When the commonwealth Congress
met this spring it had three issues Of
great consequence to decide, any one
of which was of such great public in
terest and so holly contested that it
might bring on crisis. There was
Cancellation bill, providing for the
arbitration of labor disputes, navi-
cation bill, and bill providing for
the assumption by the commonwealth
of the debts of the individual States.
The crisis has come over the first
named issue. The Cancellation bill
provided for arbitration between en-
ployers and employees upon all matters
of serious dispute. Its provisions
were something entirely new in the
history of government and the meas
ure was therefore radical as measured
by the standards OF this country, but
the government had decided to try it
as an experiment,
The administration forces, however,
had not q majority in Congress, the
balance of power being held by three
dozen labor members. These labor
members were not satisfied with the
bill as presented, and demanded that
its terms be extended so as to provide
for arbitration between the govern
ment itself and its own civil servants
This proposition the administration
the opposition forces combined and
carried the amendment The then
existing cabinet at once resigned and
threw the response bilities of govern
ment upon its adversarles and now
it is reported cabinet is being made
up of labor men and opposition lead.
ers, The bill has not yet been passed.
If the new cabinet accepts RESPONSE
bility and fails to change its plans
relative to the Cancellation bill, the
bill will become law as amended.
That will mean that the State will no
longer have control over its civil SER
vice. Not only the employees of the
railroads and telegraph systems con-
trolled by the government, but also
strike or demand arbitration between
themselves and the government. All
persons in the government service may
do the same. The government, there
fore, will not be supreme. 1t will
have to submit to the higher authority
of the arbitration board, body which
will have the power to command
without the responsibility which
should go with it. The extremes to
which the idea could we'll be carried
are plain to be seen. Even the police
might refuse to quell riot until ar
bitrators had decided whether they
were getting sufficient pay. Further
illustration is needless.
Arbitration between employer and
employed is often a good thing, Some
regular provision of arbitration be-
tween employer and employed would
be excellent. Compulsory arbitration
may also be OF value, though it should
be used with great care since the real
worth of arbitration is to be found in
the consent of the parties to the pro-
ceeding. But aIbitration-and, above
al compulsory arbitration with the
government, itself included in its
bonds is to be regarded with fear. 1t
is to be hoped that the possible abuses
TO which the Aus 'ralian governm ent
might be subjected under such law
will not be felt and that the cooler
heads among the labor leaders will
/ get control and keep it. 1t is possible
that with great care the results may
be beneficial but at best it is dan
gerous experiment 1t promises to be