The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-04-23

SuCn suspicious are TOO well GROUNDED.
1t happened, however, that the leg
islature left a serious flaw in the
main appropriation bill, and had to
| be called together in a special session
to remedy it. When that fact was
known the miners urged the governor
, to put the eight-hour law into the
| call, but he declined to do so. Prob
| ably his legal reasons we're good
but the miners felt that the failure
| to pass this law was a practical
breach of contract, and that the legis-
! lature ought to have been held to its
performance, and they have been
greatly embittered by the whole in
| cident.
That feeling has entered into this
| struggle, and has greatly tended to
intensity and prolong 1t. The miners
feel that the powers that be are not
| disposed to keep faith with them.
| Such a transaction has done more to
make socialists than all the crazy
| speeches that have been heard in the
| camps.
We are not. then, fear, in the way
| of learning much about the manage
| ment of labor troubles from the re-
cent history of Colorado. A good deal
| of strcnuosity and not much good
sense has been imported into the
struggle in the Golden state. One
remark, made to me by a gentleman
long a citizen of Colorado, and well
| qualified to testify, may throw some
light on existing conditions.
with honorable exceptions" he
| said, Il fear that our mine operators
| belong to a type of employer which is
| not the highest-men who have not
anthropic aims: who are in the bust
ness to make their fortunes as soon
as they can and do not care very
deeply about the welfare of the men
whom they employ. Perhaps the
miners, too, are even rougher and
cruder than men of their class usually
are; so that the problem here is a
the east"
This opinion l quote without MAX
ing myself responsible for it.
Just what the outcome of this
struggle is to be l am not going to
predict. That it has already inflicted
immense damage on the industries of
the state is probable; not only the
miners strike, but the exorbitant and
merciless demands of the unions in
all the cities have paralyzed trade.
The loss borne by productive indus
try during the last year is estimated
at $50,000,000. 1t is this tremen-
| dous injury which has stirred up the
Citizens alliances to fight the unions,
and which has encouraged the dras-
tic measures of the state administra-
ton. But there are remedies which
are worse than the diseases to which
they are applied, and Colorado needs
| to beware.
The miners union and the labor
unions generally must learn to be
| reasonable and decent. If they insist
| on having the earth they will be
wiped from the face of it. Tyrannies
are not going to thrive in the TWEEN
| tieth century. 1t is time for the
sensible members of the union to as
sert themselves and to enforce q
| policy of live and let live. 1 heard
of a unionist saying the other day in
Colorado:
| I'VE must stop electing scrappers
and choose men who will prove their
ability. not by getting us into trou-
bic, but by keeping us out of it."
| Cheers for that man! May his
tribe increase,
! The employers have got as much
to learn as the unionists. They ought
to be a great deal wiser, but they are
not. Tthey think that they can put
an end to labor troubles by force. and
they never will. They have got to
| learn to put as much brains and tact
and good will and patience into the
business Of managing their men as
| they do into managing the mechani-
cal or the financial sides of their en-
terprises. Doubtless they must or
ganize. No single employer or COM
pany standing alone can deal with a
compact labor union. There will have
| to be collective bargaining on the
part of the masters as well as the
men.
But this organization must keep In
! view the issues OF peace and not of
war. War. internationally or indus
trially, Is simple idocy. 1t settles
nothing; 1t simply devours and de-
| stroys.
Industrial disputes must be settled
by reason. not by force. and no man
Is ut for large business. In these
| days, who does not recognize this as
the end, and work toward 1t with all
his might.
BY the same rule the officers of the
law must be guided, only here the
maxim should have redoubled empha-
sis. The first business OF the magis-
trate Is not to make war. II is to
make and keep the peace, He. by his
function. is tho prince OF arbitrator.
If he must enforce law. let him do
1t lawfully. Above all. there must be
with him no favorites. No poor man
in the land must have the slightest
reason for thinking that the strength
of the state Is put forth to aid the
strong in trampling on the weak II
the magistrate can not convince the
poor that this il not true. he has
failed OF his function. For poor men
nre not. as a rule, any less capable
than rich men of comprehending the
real menaclng of state policies and
the essential truth of things
That fair young state OF Colorado
with it's kingly mountains and It's
uueenly cities, Its veins OF wealth