Evening star., 1909-09-12
SWEDEN'S LATE LABOR TROUBLES

Sweden has been IN the throes Of .
strike since August 4. The move
ment has two sides, eco
Political nomical and political. II
rna,.n. is economical because OF
the loss incurred oy
strikers and employers: it is political be-
cause the young socialist party wouio
have precipitated a revolution ana oNe
turned the present government
Socialism. however. except In MOST
benign form, does not flourish well IN
Swedish soil. The Swede by nature Is
not given to running wild with his own
ideas or with those Of others, ana TINS
fact is clearly manifested In his action Wiion
induced by committees to join the strike
he organized from among the strikers a
guard for the maintenance of order ano
the prevention OF violence. The success
of. socialism of such a nature does not
threaten seriously the life of government
and differs from the destructive and ois
orderly socialism Of Jaures and Herve as
night differs from the day.
The Swedish government rehects the
temper of its people, and this attempt 70
precipitate a revolution on the Dack OF q
labor movement in Sweden lends special
interest to a subject which might else DC
dismissed with bare mention.
King Gustav, after having vainly at
tempted to bring about Recommendation
between the adversaries In conflict, ISSUED
a proclamation declaring that the parties
having refused all Intervention on the
part of government, action would be limit
ed to the maintenance of order ana the
working OF the departments OF gov
ernment necessary and indispensable 70
public life. The king added that the ap-
peal made by the strikers central COM
mittee to workmen to join the movement
was specially odious when these workmen
had signed contracts in which there were
special clauses in which they engaged not
to join in strikes. This fact" said the
mediation and accord difficult, II not I'M
possible"
The committees were not so blind that
| they could not see the point. The syn
o., dicate of typographers re-
sponded by asking that
Feature. the clause might be sus-
= pended professionally" for
their members. SO that they might join
the movement without breaking their
contract. The cynicism Of such de-
| mand was manifest.
There are other grotesque sides to this
labor strike: for example, the grave dig
| gers and the milkmens associations,
which simultaneously threatened to Join
the strikers. The cynicism Of this threat
may not be apparent in Sweden, where
milk may be pure, but in other countrtes
including America, where milkmen are
| the objects of merited suspicion Of al
.action of grave diggers' and milkmen's
unions provokes smile-a CHASTITY
| smile.
| The combination has not been errone-
ously reported. A correspondent from
| Stockholm announces that the poet Hell.
denstam appealed in verse to the milk.
men in favor Of the babies OF the rich
and poor alike not to stop the flow OF
cows milk. But the milkman's soul was
untouched by the poets muse, and he
and the grave digger. who had refused
/ to dig the graves for the babes which the
milkman had rendered necessary, Joined
| the strike.
In any inquiry as to the cause OF the
| Swedish movement 1t must be borne in
mind that for two years Sweden has beer
passing through very dimcult phase OF
| her economical development. The fact Is
that capital being lacking for this de-
velopment. salaries have been reduced
| The labor organizations directed by men
of superior intelligence foresaw the con-
sequences of an inevitable lockout
| In the commencement OF the dispute
| over wages in June, which began In the
| wooden and cotton mills 1900 men were
| locked out Other Industries were In
volved until August, when the Employ
ers' Federation declared a lockout OF
| iron foundry workers. numbering 10000
Then followed the Skutskaer- celluloid
ing of, manufacturers at Stockholm
at which it was decided that II the work
men had not yielded and accepted the re-
duced wages July % q lockout would be
It'd, otv{A
=
To that ultimatum the trades unions
| were induced to respond by their direct
ors that II the threat OF
Ultlmatum July IA was not withdrawn
rssued. general strike" would
extend to all Sweden from
August 4 The manufacturers were
backed up by the banks with a credit OF
| So, 400 600; the workmen. on their side.
| levied contributions. and amassed rich
fund. and appealed for aid to the labor
| organizations Of Germany, England,
France and America.
Stockholm was naturally the strong
| hold of the labor movement. 1t was
there that the tie-up OF business life
was to be felt. On the 4th of August
business was practically suspended. To
| procure provisions cavalry went out
each morning to escort the market
gardeners with their truck into the
| city; coachmen and motormen no longer
| turned out, and the eight tramcars
which made their appearance on the
| 18th were accompanied by a strong
force of police.
1t is true, the government had taken
the precaution to hold in readiness a
large military force, which was kept
carefully masked in order the better to
carry out the impression that the gov
ernment had confidence in the people,
notwithstanding it's revolutionary as
sumption of government authority.
An association known as the Social
Defense of Stockholm was organized
quietly and the command intrusted to
| NJ de Hotterman. an ex-ofhcer of the
army The first section of the or
ganization, in case of the strike of the
| employees of the regular administration
| Of the water department, would assure
| the service of providing drinking wa
! ter for the city: the second section
would assure the lighting of the city;
| the third section would clean the
| streets; the fourth would protect the
| banks This association had no occa-
| sion to exercise all Its functions, be-
cause of the order and peace main
tanned by the strikers themselves. There
| which might be adopted in communities
and countries less peaceful than Swe-
| den. When the sentiment Of individual
responsibility shall have penetrated
| the spirit of the public 1t will become a
powerful aid to government In the
prompt and peaceful repression of labor
strikes which attract to them all the