Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1904-09-09
THE PENDING STRIKES.
They Are Of No Use as Democratic
CampniRn Material


After cropping about blindly for some
thing to take the place of the dead 16
to / free silver issue Of 1896 and 1900
the Democrats have apparently seized
upon the unrest Of labor as indicated in
numerous strikes in various parts Of the
country as condition which can be
charged to the Republican party. This
is merely another illustration of the ira
ditional faulty Of Democratic issue hun
ters to monkey with live wire, when
they are looking for something to win
votes.
Strikes, like the poor, we have with
us always. But unlike the poor they are
not proofs of hard times and misfortune.
More often strikes are the signs and at
tendants of prosperous times. In hard
times wage earners have nothing TO
strike for, except against sharing in the
losses which wait on unrelnunerative
industry. In good times. such as we
have been experiencing under Republi-
can rule during the past eight years.
strikes indicate the natural ambition of
labor TO secure an increased share in
the profits of their remunerative indus.
try.
Under Cleveland, from 1898 to 1896
strikes signified the protest of labor
against declining wages.
Under Mckinley and Roosevelt. from
1897 to 1904, strikes have marked the
strides by which labor has raised its
wages TO point never before known in
the history of the industrial world.
No official statistics of strikes have
been compiled later than for 1900 but
the figures for the sixteen years to and
including that year show the follow
ing loss Of wages to employees during
two Republican and two Democratic
administrations:
Wages lost
to employees
by strikes.
1885 to 1888 (Cleveland). .......s 4s,5939 s4
1893 to 1896 (Cleveland). ....... 1,226,61I
Total years Democratic
administration ........ .S119,S 601
1889 to 1892 (Iarrison). .......S 1889, ISL
1897 to 1900 Mckinley. 81, COS, T23
Total s years Republican
administration .....S110, 1854, S74
Thus it will be seen that employees lost
nearly 100000 less striking for an in
creased share of the prosperity under
Harrison and Mckinley than they did
striking against a reduced share of the
dwinding profits under Cleveland.
But more to the point are the figures
which show the proportion of strikes
succeeding in the respective periods as
follows:
Per cent
of strikes
Inclusive. successful.
1855 to 1883 (Cleveland). .......... 5043
1898 to 1896 (Cleveand ............ 1925
Eight Democratic years. ........ 51.S4
1889 TO 1892 Qlarrison) ............... 4434
Eight Republican years. ......... 1884
The banner year for strikes was 1894.
which involved a loss of S37, 145, 532 to
employees in wages.
1t has been estimated that the strikes
of 1903 lessened the purchasing power
of the American people by fully $1,000
O00,010: and yet, so universal was the
increase in pay of wage earners that
the savings deposits of the country were
increased by the enormous sum of $780,
195. 15o in one year. This affords
striking contrast to the memorable year
Of Democratic adversely, 1894. when
S37, 1867 more savings were with
drawn than were deposited.
There is vast difference between the
significance of strikes in years of adver
sity and years of prosperity. According
to the annual report of the American
Federation of Labor the 1904 strikes of
the organizations affiliated with that
body in 1903 resulted in benefits to no
less than 192,591, or II per cent of the
249,Sl9 members involved. In 1894 the
proportion of successful strikes was only
3T.35.
Clearly the present prevalence of spor-
adic strikes will not serve the Demo
Gratis as a campaign issue, except as
hoOmpr0np