Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-03-21
wages Of ii per cent would still be az

wages Of IA per cent would still be as
fair as it was i'll the first place.
1t is beside the point in general
way to say that the stocks of the steel
corporation are Watered ANA - On.
The same thing would apply in any
other industry and il must Ue Iemem-
bercd that aIl employers are not capi-
talists. The profits Of some employ
ers at the end ef the year may lie
shout as small as or smaller than tie
savings ef TIE workman
If the unio1s in the past few years
have been able TO convince employers
tAat wages should be increased be-
cause uf the general cordition of the
market, then it is but fur to assume
tlat the employers should be able to
convince the unions that wages must
be reduced when prices are falling.
II the joint trade agreement establish
rs fair relations between employer and
employee. then wages must go up and
down along with profits If the un-
IONS as a whole accept the advice of
their leader and resist reductions. then
the joint trade agreement will in all
probability be shown as a failure.
1hls question is likely to be put to a
test in this city shortly when the agree
ments between tie Metal Trades asso-
citation and the several unions in that
industry expire Tie market price of
machinery las fallen-at least little
and it replains to be seen whether
wages will follow.
There is no general rule that can be
applied iii s.ich eases. one union may
be in a position where it can resist a
wage reduction successfully, and it
may be perfectly fair for it to do so.
The market price for tie commodity it
produces may not have fallen or it may
not have been receiving fair wages
when conditions warranted it. Anoth-
er union may find that i'll resisting
wage reduction il may meet its Water
loo, and in such cases the reduction
goes into effect, anG the union goes out
of business at the same time. 1t will
not be long after that until another re-
duction takes place. larger tll:in the
first one, and there is no organization
left to resist it. In such cases no one
can say that it would not have been
wiser to accept slight reduction and
maintain the union.
There is of course another question
involved that must be considered. La
Dor unions are organized primarily to
keep up wages, and if wages are re-
duced it becomes a question how long
the members of the union will hold to-
gctier. 1t is education along that line
that the unions need now. They should
lock little into the future, and in de-
Gliding questions of dis character they
should think not alone on present
wants but Oh what may be best for
them a few years hence.
The older unions. and especially those
with Il beneficial system. have little to
fear from that source. but they are in
the minority. They can hold their
members together in prosperity or ad
versity. because they are better educat-
ed and have financial interest in their
unions. But for the union with no
beneficial system, the membership of
which rises and fails With the times, it
would appear wise to give this ques-
ton of wage reduction serious consid-
Grafton, and if it becomes a choice be-
the scale go temporarily and preserve
the un;on.--Luke Grant III Chicago In
ter Ocean.