Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-19
LABoR's MISTAKE

| 'AOii W IAiS SiLOTlS VI MeSSrS. OpTeChelS
Langdon, Heney and others to rescue
that city from the pit of corruption
into which it was thrown by a com,
bination of orporatioh-machine and
bad labor union politics.
The dispatches say that when the
labor leaders were offered an oppor-
tunity to Jpoint half the delegates tc
the convention which was to represent
all the business interests of San Fran
cisco in an effort to select worthy
successor to the convicted mayor of
that unfortunate town the offer was
refused because it did not carry with
it guaranty that a mayor satisfac-
tory to these labor leaders would be
selected.
This refusal defeated the plan to
of representative citizens of San Fran
| cisco, and forced the graft prosecutors
to discharge this duty to their city
without the assistance of the various
interests whose help they had asked.
And now that the duty appears to
nave DGtll wei NY tilC &c
lection by the prosecutors of a citizen
of recognized and admitted honesty
and ability to act as mayor of their
city we are told in yesterday morn
ing's dispatches that P. H. Mccarthy
assuming to speak for the labor unions
of San Francisco, has announced that
the unions will accord the administra-
ton of the new mayor neither SYM
pathy nor support.
1t is a pity that somebody cannot give
Mr.. Mccarthy to know that the sole
hope for any real and permanent sue
cess of the cause of organized labor
in this country is found in the pursuit
by labor unions of course which will
insure a popular sympathy with it's
ends and aims, and at the same time
will secure the confidence of the public
in the methods which it proposes to
pursue to achieve those ends and aims.
Wherever such public sympathy and
confidence have not been secured, and
especially wherever by the acts of
labor unions a reverse conviction has
been given the mind of the public,
the cause of organized labor has suf-
fered and will suffer.
1t seems to us that if the labor lead
ers of San Francisco would only con-
slider the history of two street car
strikes had in that town this lesson
that we are trying to preach would
Iced no other enforcement.
Shortly after Mr.. Calhoun took over
the street car system of San Francisco
from the Huntington interests, at a
price which he Immediately proceeded
to multiply by more than three in the
issue of securities and stocks, the
street car operatives of San Francisco
asked for an increase in wages made
positively necessary by the increased
price of living, which up to that time
had not been met by any REIMBURSEMENT
of their wage scale. This perfectly
just and moderate request was refused,
and as result the street car opera
tives struck in order to enforce their
demands.
These demands were so apparently
just and reasonable, and the strike
was accompanied by such a careful
observance of law and order that vir-
tually the whole of the public of San
Francisco was in sympathy with the
strike, and this universal public SYM
pathy forced the United Railroads, Mr..
Calhoun's company, into conceding the
just demands of it's striking operatives,
and in three days the strike was sue
cessfully ended.
On the contrary, the last strike of
the operatives of the street car system
was called in violation of a previous
agreement of the union, and was both
brought about and handled in such a
way by the violent and headstrong
labor union leaders of that city who
had charge Of it as to forfeit public
respect and good will, and it has thus
far resulted, and undoubtedly will re-
suit, in the most dismal defeat for
organized labor that it has been COM
PEELED to meet in many years.
Everyone who recognizes the real
good to be achieved by the organiza-
ton of labor interests of the country
on proper lines, and, the use of their
organized force in a proper manner
must deeply regret such occurrences
as have recently transpired in San
Francisco, for it will follow, as the
night the day, that as long as the
American people remain a law-abiding
race the sort of organization whose
leaders put themselves in opposition
to the enforcement of law and order
must fail, and the members must reap
the bitter reward of the transgressor
1t does appear that in view of their
past experience the labor unions of
San Francisco should understand that
they are powerless to accomplish any
permanent good results for their cause
without the sympathy and support of
the great body of the public, which
means an infinite number of people
beyond the membership roll of their
organizations.