Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-06-07
STRIKES.

maintenance and operation of all tn,
Hartman lines west of Chicago
while in Seattle recently, in speaking
OF the rebuilding of San Francisco
said:
Mechanics OF all kinds are in de
mand for the reconstruction of the city
but what is the result; strike after strike
l. have personal knowledge of many
wealthy men who have the money anC
are ready to construct buildings. but tn,
contractors are afraid. The strike prob
lem is serious menace to the welfare O
the entire West"
Certainly the strike problem is 6
serious menace to the welfare of the
entire West, he might have went
still further and added, of the en-
tire North, West, East and South. -
do not believe in strikes of any de.
scription, whatever. The history OF
strikes, SO far as l have observed,
shows the strike to be a mistake. 1t
never Injuries the employer as much
as it Injuries the employe. The
money value of time lost on strike is
never regained by the strikers. The
strike of the wOrkingman is not only
a bad thing for himself, but bad
thing for the small merchant every
where.
The greater the dimensions of a
strike, the wider the disaster to the
working people, for the shutting
down of business in any one line
means the loss of work for hundreds
of men in the related industries, and
all industries are related in these
days. The man who favors a strike
in the present condition of the cOun-
try, to my mind, has lost the better
part of his reasoning powers. When
men with money wish to invest their
capital in enterprises which receive a
bank account" and which will give
work to the workingman, it looks to
me as if he was, to use an old phrase
cutting off his nose to spite his
face, when he favOrs strike of any
sort. for he is deliberately throwing
away the opportunity to work when
work is plentiful. And while there
are many jobs for men in prosperous
times. it is fact that the jobs are
mostly for the men who are working.
1t iS-frOm my experience-much
easier to find a place while holding a
job, than it is to get one when out of
| q job. Therefore IL ie q vast picec of
folly for q great number of men to
put themselves deliberately out of a
job.
The strike is money in nobody s
pocket; it is money out of every
body's pocket, and out of the poor
mans pocket in more Onerous proper
tion than the employers or the mer-
| chants.
The effect of strike is almost in
variably against the interests of the
men who start it and carry it on.
The history of labor disturbances
prove this.
Very seldom does a strike win
when it is started. Often demands
made under threat of strike are
granted, but once the big strike is
on, the end is always the same-the
men who go out, stay out; or if they
return to work, stay but q short
time. 1t seems 70 be true that the
strikers never win in the long run,
not even when they are of such an
order of intelligence as the telegra-
piers, or the printers.
1t is my individual opinion that O
strike is a thing which should not be
sought, but should be avoided by all
possible means. The true, honest
and hardworking man is opposed tC
strikes as q rule. He knows what
they mean, especially if he ever went
through one. He knows that the
leaders of strikes, somehow, are not
always the best workmen. Work
ingmen, belonging to whatever union
they may, to-day know that nothing
worse for themselves could happen
than that they should quit work and
pay right now. They know that 9
strike means ruin for the many, and
the best men suffer most and longest
as the result of such disturbance.
A strike is private war; and the
government cannot afford to per
init private war among its people
A strike of any proportions is pub
lie nuisance and public injury. II
benefits no One-nOt even the BuSi.
ness Agent" who agitates and TO
ments tin the outcome.
There is, of course, no way to pre-
vent men from quitting work, but
there should be o way to prevent the
intimidation OF people who want
work, and there should be devised
some means to stop the loud-mOutheC
walking delegate" of associations
known as labor unions from inter
fering in any manner or form what
ever with men who are cOntented
satisfied and honestly trying to carr
a living while briefly sojourning or
this old pllnet. LUE F. VERNON.
Lovers Ink.
There are various kinds of invisible
inks, but there is method Of making
ink which can be wiped off a sheet o
paper with a pocket handkerchief
without leaving o trace: Dissolve some
starch in water until it is as thick a:
cream. Then add to the starch few
drops of tincture of iodine, which will
turn the starch to dark red color
Now take a pen and write with this
prepared ink upon sheet of note pa
per. The ink will dry right away
after which you may erase the whole
of your letter by simply wiping thu
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