The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-02-24
INDUSTRIAL WARFAI
The Only Way by Which StriA
May Be Averted. /
Deal FAIRLY WITH LABO|


| tivey--soms FalIaeies Refuted.
The department Of labor has made IA
study Of the data In regard to the co
Of the strikes and lockouts which IL
country has witnessed in the last tweI
ty-nye years. Preliminary summarize
and figures. with the results rehche
have appeared 10 the press, and
course the usual solemn editorial cod
ments have followed. The full repdz
will no doubt give us superabua
dance OF such wisdom and moralizin III
but the net intellectual profit to eui#
ployers and workmen will be small. e
One newspaper remarks that short
OF actual war there has never been de
yised more costly, unsatisfactory
and materially disastrous method OF
settling economic disputes" than the
strike-lockout method
This may be admitted without argu
ment. The figures may be misleading.
the calculations full OF errors and
omissions, but certainly no intelligent
workman will assert that the strike
method is In itself good method It
may be inevitable at times. but q nee
essary evil Is not d blessing. Organ
lied labor does not favor strikes for
the sake of striking and would be glad
Of better methods OF settling disputes
But facts are facts, and human ma
ture is human nature. What Is labor
to do when an employer Is arrogant,
stupid. blind to his own interests,
prejudlced and arbitrary
Let US look at the official figures. 1t
seems that for the period lSSl-l900
the loss to employees IN wages
through strikes is said to have amount
ed to $25S. 100000 and the loss to EN-
ployers from the same cause $123,0O0-
000 Lockouts during the same period
cost the workmen about $49,00O000
and the employers some $10-00Q,000.
These. we are. told. are the direct
losses. and they hre tremendous. The
Inference conveyed is that If no strikes
or lockouts had occurred during the
period the above colossal amounts
would have been saved.
Now, this inference is subject to
heavy discounts. to important aualih-
cations. 1t is not true that the losses
were pure" losses. 1t Is sheer assnmp-
ton that In the absence OF strikes and
iockouts there would have been no stop
pages. no interruptions. no enforced
idleness.
However. LET US assume for the sake
or argument that billions have been
lost by employers and employed
through strikes and controversies.
How are similar losses to be prevented
in the future? BY making strikes and
iockouts illegal. BY compulsory arbi-
tration? Neither employers nor or
ganized labor will entertain that idea
for moment The right to strike and
The right to stop producing are funda.
mental
BY voluntary arbitration labor Is
ready to accept that method. provided
the arbitration is really voluntary and
faithfully carried out; provided it IS
not tricky. and provided the employers
put aside childish aud Anticipated pref
udiees. recognize the principle Of col,
lectlve bargaining and the interest of
labor in the joint product and meet
selected delegates Of labor on
q friendly and frank basis for discus
sion and negotiation.
From excellent authority come the re-
ports that arbitration and Cancellation
are steadily growing; that many cases
are settled peacefully today that would
surely have led to Industrial warfare
ten or a dozen years ago. This is true
and as gratifying to organized labor as
it is to the public. But arbitration,
trade agreements and Cancellation
would make more rapid and general
progress II the employers once for all
repudiated the bigots. reactionaries
and mischief makers among them, &C
cepted the union shop principle, gave
up needless and irritating suits TO
gain improper advantages through per
version Of the law and treated work
men as business equals. Let employers
organize as much as they please and
u any way they please, but let them
honestly recognize the same right in
labor and deal with 1t not at arms
length. not under the spur Of necessity.
but gladly aud willingly.
There is no other way to stop
strikes, no other way to avert the
losses entailed by Industrial warfare,
but our sapient editors and moralizers
10 not point this moral. They prefer
windy and empty exhortations to labor
which mean nothing.
Another fallacy Of the statisticians
Is this-in computing losses they for
get that many strikes result in sub
stantial increases OF wages or in re-
AUCTION Of hours. II Il certain number
of men lose the wages Of one month,
say. in two or three years ana obtain
! 10 per cent increase that is perma-
aent. have they sustained a net loss or
have they gained by the strike? Il IS
Easy to say that the increase would
have come anyway. Perhaps SO, per.
laps not IN any case. who knows how
saon It would have come. how long it
Hould have remained IN force without
he strike and the fear Of another
'trlkes And what about other gans
y the workers-m moral. physical 80
.iai gains in health and leisure, %
Lightly. in Independence and ID ll'
hority? WIN these be estimated ly
aud placed on the csaA
ide of the strike account. Altogether
hen. the value Of the 6pures on sirises