New-York tribune., 1908-11-29
I'LL CONSIDERED STRIKES.


Too seldom do the lessons which strike
leaves behind it guide the actions Of those
whose real or fancied grievances cry out for
redress When strikes are planned no account
seems usually 10 be taken Of the past and the
question of the possibility of success or fallure
apparently has little weight. The disinterested
onlooker cannot fail tc be impressed with the
evidence of strikes unwisely planned and un-
wisely conducted even where there Is every
reason to believe that a preponderance OF the
merit is on the side of the workmen. If the
times are good and the employer Is getting large
returns for his investment. some one Will arise
10 assure the workman that he is not getting
his share of the general prosperity and that ne
must strike If times are bad and the EN-
ployer finds it necessary TO retrench by scaling
down the wages which were raised when pros
perity was at its height, that same evil genius
will be lowering around about to whisper into
the often unwilling ears Of the .workmen that
the employer would save his profits by cut
ting down the wages of the .workmen and max
ing them stand the loss.
That organiza tions of labor must be matched
against organizations Of capital Is probably true,
for those whose capital is dollars Ike those
whose capital is skill or muscle, want all they
can get for il: but it Is a serious question
whether in the aggregate the strikes OF the last
twenty five years have done anything 10 advance
the cause of those in whose interest they were
presumably decla red Far too often the unrest
comes from the top rather than from the bot
tom and the agitator who makes his living out
of the enmites between capital and labor is
forced to arouse the 'dowrtrodden workman
to a sense of his subiecton. Time and
again vorkmen. we'll fed. well clothed and we'll
housed have been called out by those in author
ity against their own will and not even in de
fence Of their own rights. which they admitted
were not being violated but out of sympathy
for the members of some other organization
who were engaged in struggle Of their own
making.
A recent example of the i'll considered and i'll
requited contest may be found in the strike
of the motormen and conductors in the employ
of the Chester Traction Company, which has
lust been declared off. For seven months that
Pennsylvania town has been suffering the in
evitabIe effects Of a prolonged contest between
the workmen and the management Thousands
of dollars worth Of property belonging TO the
company has been destroyed. tens Of thousands
Of dollars worth of business has been lost to
the merchants of the city, and many families
have come to want as a result Of the disturb
ance. During part Of the time the non-comba-
tants Of the place, constituting great majority
of the citizens. dared not ride in the streetcarS
for fear of personal injury.
In the ueCIdIdtlon Which tei Hdteu 'h0 9'lihe
the streetcar company took no part and it is
vet uncertain whether or not those who particf-
pated in the strike will be re-employed On the
face of it. therefore the net results Of the strike
would appear to be: Seven months Of vlolenc"
many injuries at least death. bad feeling on
the. part of nearly every one in the city, hunger
in the families of many workmen inconvenience
TO the entire population and heavy monetary
loss not only TO the company and the strikers
but as we'll to all branches of business and on
top of it all winter coming on and the conductors
and motormen without the assurance of any
work at all instead of what they had at the he
ginning and what they still might have retained
If the strike was profitable 70 any it
tainly was not profitable TO any one who had
legitimate interest in its outcome.