The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-04-29

} LIZ, (0l,lI1 by the same 1leL1lOu VI
the laborers lost in wages
from lockouts $4S,S19,745, and $3,451,-
461 in assistance from the union
trea suries. The employers lost $19,-
927,982, and by way Of making the
amount more formidable he adds the
two together, showing that the employ
ers lost from strikes and lockouts to-
gether during the twenty years $685.
1929, and the laborers lost $142,659,-
I04, making grand total Of loss for
both parties, $449,000.000. These
figures are, indeed, formidable. One
would think that the loss Of 1906, $685.
Der Of the laborers to the laborers to
the poorhouse, but it did nothing Of
the kind. AS a matter of fact, the
laborers have suffered no permanent
injury from the strikes during the last
twenty-five years, and it is doubtful
if the community has suffered.
ITO assume the benefit and injury Of
economic struggle by the immediate
profit and loss is the most superficial
view that can be taken Of the subject.
In the first place, it is an erroneous
luCd " SuPpOoC Sudl ldOoIC1o ouAACA
a great deal of hardship during a
strike. At first sight 1t SENS as If their
suffering must be terribly severe when
their wages cease and they have little
or nothing savd, and If this should
occur in the ordinary course of affairs
they would suffer greatly. But in a
strike there is a different sociological
environment. The idleness is volun-
tary, and the work1nen do not consider
1t a hardship, but as a struggle for
principle or for more wages.
TN the next place, the money is not
actually lost. 1t is temporarily sacri-
feed in the struggle to get a larger
amount, and the struggle is so often
many times greater than the amount
lost, so that the strikes of the last
twenty years do not show a loss, but a
tremendous gain. It should be remem-
bered also that the loss Is temporary
and the gain permanent. The gain Of
10 per cent. III wages is not an in
crease for a month or a year, but for
life, and is bequeathed to the next gen.
Grafton.
Lastly, strikes have wonderful
educational influence. They develop
the enterprise and Individuality of the
laborers. They develop the economic
views Of both laborers and employers
To pass through two trikes Is liber
al education for both employer and
laborer. Strikes develop also the
borer., which is an essential quality in
good citizenship.
IF strikes were as injurious to bu
siness and to the welfare of laborers
and Of the public as Mr.. Gilman and
many others would have us believe,
the countries that have the most
strikes might be expected to be poor
est, but the facts are just the reverse.
Strikes are most numerous where
prosperity and progress are most gen.
eral. The anthracite coal strike in
1902 is frequently referred to as an
illustration Of the disastrous effects Of
strikes. The loss of wages to the la
borers, Of profits to corporations and
all great. Yet it Is doubtful, on the
whole. that the strike was not a good
thing. 1t served to venttlate the con-
dition of labor in the coal mines and
the methods of the corporation as no.
thing else could It is doubtful if any
event in twenty years has had so
educational an influence on the trade
unions. It forced upon them the re-
sponsiblity for avoiding violence and
enforcing discipline and althogether
relying upon education rather than
brute force. It brought on a wider
discussion o economic conditions and
the right of individuals and corpora
tons. 1t also helped to explode the
divine authority kind Of conceit re-
presented by President Baer.
1T is well that some suffering ac-
commpany strikes, otherwise they
would be resorted to too frequently.
It is not less important that corpora
tons should suffer clipping Of divi-
dends as the result Of the attitude as
sumed by the coal railroads. The
suffering Of the public was temporary.
A little public Inconvenience is also
a good thing to stir up interest in
such questions. It was struggle that
involved hardship, as all struggles do,
but 1t is In this hardship that valu-
able educational experience comes.
Any, governmental regulations or SUI
pervisions that should eliminate the
struggle would practically strife pro-
gress. All character development, all
institutional evolution, all societarian
emancipation and improvement come
through struggle-struggle between
contcnding interests and intensely diff
ferent northumberland without such
struggle new ideas, larger plans, high
er standards can not be evolved"
TREES, SHRUBS AND PLANTS.