Arizona republican., 1904-09-15
PHoENx. ARIZONA. SEPT. Is. 1904
Employees and Employers on Trial.

Employees and Employers on Trial.
 The New York Sun has never been a distinguished exponent of unionism as 1t has been organized from the be- ginning and the Suns views on the subject may not generally have a great deal of weight with the labor leaders of the country. but the following on the dangers winch threaten it may be read with interest if not with profit by all friends of organized labor every where:
 The strength of labor unionism is ir the vast number included in it's various organizations and in certain funda- mental principles which seem to be inn perfectly understood by some Of its ad- herents. Its weakness is in its lack of cohesiveness and in the iucompe- tence of many of its leaders.
 ''The aims of unionism are a mutual helpfulness. of which the public hears little and sees less, and a common de- mand for that which il enormously terms its rights" in the form of a larger share of the results to which labor contributes, namely, business profits. In its demands and in the methods employed to enforce them it u,anifests in a majority of cases pre- cisely the same spirit which it so wig Crously condemns when displayed by those whom it calls enemies" The greed of the employer and the greed of the employe are identical in their nature. Neither group is so white that 1t is justified in ealing the other black.
 But members may be either a source of strength or the cause of weakness. Where there is lack of discipline and an absence of all we'll defined ends to- ward which all are working in harmo- ny, the greater the number noninally associated the greater the certainty of conflict of opinion in regard to meth ods and policies. Confusion leads to disintegration. This is the danger which threatens unionism in this coun- try today, and it has found Hlustra- tion in some of the more notable re- cent labor disturbances.
 Society at large has been the chief sufferer. as it usually is in such ex- periences, and society could see in none of the strikes which have disturbed this city any purpose which seemed to be worthy of approval and support All had the countenance and expressed approval of the central committee of organized labor, and that body could only sit weakly by and watch their failure. It is to fight such strikes as these that employers have been forced into organization for their own protec- ton. Labor leaders might not be able to prevent them, but competent, broad minded and farseeing leaders would at least protest against their inception These strikes did not fail because those who took part in them were too weak to maintain them, but because they were wrongly based and were without due justification. They involved neith- CT an economic nor a moral principle. They were an offense and not an ap- peal to society.
 "Unionism in this country today is rather an incoherent association than a we'll established organzation. Because it does not know quite what it wants to do it is unable to act either har moniously or effectively. In that fact is the community's protection from the deeds of ignorant. interruptions or fla natical labor leaders.
 If rightly conducted. unionism may be made a force helpful alike to it's members and to society in general. Standing on sound principles and wise ly led and guided it will encounter more help than hindrance from em- ployers and from the public. If its course is marked by foolish and unjus- tifiable strikes, it will encounter only opposition and ultimate defeat. In pre- csely that danger unionism now stands. An often offended and sometimes out ragged public is rapidly forming itself into a national jury. on whose verdict the fate of unionism will depend.
 Both parties to industrial conflicts. employers as well as organized en- ployes. are now on trial. A vast prob lem is in process Of solution. and the fate of unionism is in its own hands. -