New-York tribune., 1905-03-08
TILE INrERBoRoUGH sTRIKE.

Rarely has a great strike been precpitated
upon a community which commanded SO little
popular sympathy that begun yesterday
morning by the employees of the subway and
| elevated railroads Any real grievances which
! some of the strikers may have are completely
| obscured by the conduct of the labor organlza-
tions in wantonly violating their contracts with
the Interborough company, and without the
sanctions which their own constitutions are
supposed to require, suddenly refusing all con-
ciIiation and in utter disregard of public in
terests seeking to tie up the transportation IA
cilities Of this city to the inconvenience, dis
comfort and loss of hundreds of thousands of
innocent people.
Now. nobody can justly blame the employees
of the Interborough for seeking by all fair
means to improve their conditions of labor. 1t
may be that they have some reasonable fault
to find with their treatment, though their Off
cial statement contains only the vaguest allega-
tions and does not at all square with the specific
demands on which the strike was based in Vio-
Iation of contract Those demands were not for
redress of grievances, but for new cOnces-
sions including an abandonment Of the physical
examination of motormen, instituted for the
safety of the travelling public. The INTERIOR
ough had distinct agreement with the motor
mems organization for three years from Sep
tember S, 1904. Whatever justification the men
may have had for asking the company to modify
any Objectionable methods in the execution Of
that agreement, they had no justification for
presenting new demands In violation of that
agreement and suddenly abandoning the work
which they had contracted to do on specific
terms. The company could do nothing but re-
fuse their demands. Compliance meant sacrifice
of public safety, premium on irresponsibility
and bad faith and abtect surrender of the con-
troll of the road to its employees.
The fact is that the Interborough had already
gone TO the extreme of making concessions and
inviting new demands in unending. succession.
While the work Of construction was going on
it acted with liberality. and its evident anxiety
to avoid trouble and the great popular interest
in the speedy completion of the work led some
labor leaders TO take truculent and dictatorial
attitude Since the road has been in operation
they have adopted the same policy of encroach-
nzent and had enough success to dream that
there is no limit to the possibilities of good
"bluffing" They counted on Mr.. Bemonts
leadership in the Civic Federation, his desire
for peace and the necessity of keeping the sub
way running. They probably never dreamed of
the issue being forced. Demands in violation of
contract had been granted before, and they
expected that they would be granted again, and
no doubt in a few weeks yet again. 1t was not
Supposed that the Interborough would dare
resist and let its traffic be interfered with. But
the worm turned. The employees were, doubtless
to their surprise, allowed to go out as they said
they would, and il is to be hoped that they will
be allowed to stay out. They are the enemies
of honest labor and trustworthy labor unions.
The strike must inevitably cause inconven-
ience but it should be borne with patience, and
the public as well as the police should do all i'll
their power to discourage disturbance and en-
able the new men to handle the traffic. They are
doubtless somewhat clumsy, but they are doing
the best that can be done to accommodate the
people, and they are standing up not merely
for the companys rights but for the peoples
rights to have their convenience considered in
accordance with solemn contracts and their
lives protected by adequate tests of fitness for
subway employment.