The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-12
s0ME FEATURES or THE STRIKE.

CHICAGO, May iO.--H a man OF q group Of
men were 70 be hanged for the deaths which
nave occurred a. a result Of the Chicago
.ulE9' the Judge who pronounced the sem
.ynoe could Use no more fitting words than
NOSE used by Judge Gary when he sem
said.
-, " men are p,nusded that because Of business
ulnefehc's' whether sb5ut labor or anything else,
80 sg may destroy properly and assault and beat
osH.I men and XII the police II they, In the die
,Ht0 OF lhelr duty, interfere 10 preserve the
i,tsS , sNsIe lliue ground TO hope that they VIII
iNteh 70 any warning.
" Is not The least among the hardships Of the
paee"oe' frugal ana labOrious poor 70 endure
.he tyranny OF mobs, who with lAWioas force die
ne ~ mem under penalty Of peril to limb and
Ile, sheIe' when and upon what terms they may
.atn livelihood for themselves and their families.
| any government that Is worthy OF the name viii
Enormously endeayor 10 secure 20 eli within ta
guIHdlcuon the freedom to follow the lawful avo-
catlohs ana safety for their properly and their
p pIsohs' while obeyinE the law, and the Law h
common sense.
differing only in the methods employed,
tue tesInstere strike fairly repeats the ex-
peilence Of nineteen years ago, which sent
some TO hard labor for a term Of vears, and
sent Others TO the gallows. In the earlier
case death came from the hands Of pro-
iessed anarchists. In the present case
II mas come from the hand Of organized
labor or It's professed friends. So far ss
the pubic Is concerned it matters little
"hether rioters and murderers call them
selves anarchists or labor unionists The
crimes and ofenses Of the last few days
may or may not be directly chaTReable 10
unionism OF TO members Of labor orRaniza-
lions. II not, they are the work Of alleged
fuends OF such organizations, and the dis
credit Tails on those whom such seek to aid
and support. They are the offspring Of
acts Of unionism, and IL continued the day
VIII soon come when society win organize
and take up the work now being done by
organized employers. Organized labor
must keep itself and it's friends within the
law If it would live.
The habbiness Of Chicago's new Mayor
has been one Of the features Of the gtua-
ton. he Is quoted by the Reeord-HerdH
as saying on Sunday:
wish the STRIFE could be settled In some way.
tined every means could thlnk OF two weeks ago
TO bring about some Kind OF settlement. but n
availed nothing. ! don't care whether the strikers
or the employers win. but the continuance Of dis
turbed conditions Is becoming almost lntoleTable
from public standpoint
This Is a disoreditable whimper for q
city's ruler. He is indifferent to the prin-
ciples at stake, and would be as well con-
tent 70 witness a triumph Of the noting and
violence which he weakly deprecates as
he would be 10 see the streets Of this city
freely opened TO the use OF the citizens
thereof He tried Cancellation, and has
been for some days daIlying with arbitra-
don, while riots and disorder prevail In
the streets. He seems to have only feeble
conception Of his duties. His paramount
duty is entirely plain. 1t is not 10 seek
means of reconciling the conflicting inter
ests and claims Of employers and employ
ees. 1t Is 20 maintain l4w and order. HIS
d lty IS TO compel the lawless to respect
and obey the law, and not the devising OF
schemes for the adjustment Of differences
between the contestants. That can come
when the turbulent element is safely en-
sconced behind the bars. Mobs are I'M
reasoning. Otherwise there would be no
strikes attended by violence.
Another feature Of the strike appears
in the marked change Of public sentiment
throughout the country regarding union
ism and its methods. The public now
takes much broader view Of strikes and
their attendant issues than was taken few
years ago An intelligent public opinion
is being formed. There is now a fairly
clear perception Of the respective rights
Of the contestants. The right Of labor 10
organize is conceded, and organization as
a system meets general approval The
right Of labor 10 quit work, individually
or as an organization is generally recog-
nized. But the rights Of employers are
also better understood than they were, and
there il an increasing realization that in
all strikes. whether attended by violence
or not, the public is the real sufferer and the
actual paymaster.
Unionism as an orderly effort 10 secure,
by legitimate methods, a proper conser-
walton Of the rights Of those who labor IL
doubtless a necessity in the economic world
OF to-day. But imposes its own limitations
upon its greatest success by the too fire.
quent employment Of offensive methods.
The Chicago strike is one Of the steps in a
large movement by which labor and the
public az a whole are being educated to a
clear appreciation Of both the legal and
the moral phases Of present day indus
triAlism. Most important OF all Is the
awakening Of the public to the fact that IL
u not a mere bystander and spectator Of
the recurring struggles.
The minen' war in Colorado, the cotton
operatives strike in Fall River the an
thracte coal strike, the subway strike in
New York, the teamsters' strike in Chicago
and various other recent experiences have
hammered into the public a new idea Of
is relation to industrial conflicts. II is
the misfortune Of unionism that il has not
kept pace with the public in the educational