Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-10
Why Not Arbitrate?

| BY a vote OF 3,oo1 TO ~ the members
of the Brotherhood of RAILROAD Train
men. who do the switching work on
! eighteen railroads in the city of Chicago,
| have decided TO strike if their demand
| for an increase Of ) cents an hour is
| not granted. The leaders declare that
| this Overwhelming vote indicates that the
1 men are firmly opposed to arbitration and
| that the only way for the railroads 10
prevent 4 tie-up is to grant the demand.
on the other hand the railroad officials
DO not believe mat the men will strike
| without submitting their case 10 arbitra-
| ton.
| Ii this strike is ordered without arbi-
! tration the switchmen of Chicago will do
| the cause OF organized labor serious in
jury and retard rather than advance the
| process of securing equitable adjustments
between workers ana employers in all
! lines OF industry. If strike meant only
| The refusal of individuals to continue to
work a [ the stated wages there could be
no public opposition TO this form of en-
| deavor on the part of the workers TO bet
| ter their condition. 1t is the privilege of
| any man 10 carry his goods to the high
| est market and TO refuse to sell when he
| is not content with the terms. But /,
| railroad strike invariably means an effort
on the part OF those who abandon their
| positions TO prevent Others from filling
them. The strike has come TO mean not
merely the refusal of the inyidual to work
for the wages offered, but the assumption
| of the right 10 demand those wages under
| the penalty of II suspension of the busi-
| ness.
| The demand of cents an hour is of
course q small item in itself. But it
| means 40 cents day, on the eight-hour
| basis, and when 400 men are involved,
| as in this case, it means total of $3.50
each day, or in one year 1854 900 added to
| the opeI ating expenses OF the railroad
| lines. IL there is reason for the switch
men to be deeply in earnest in demanding
| this increase, there is equal reason for
| the officials of the railroad companies,
| who are charged with responsibility to
! their stockholders, to be also in earnest
in insisting upon a careful consideration
Of the matter before granting the de-
mand. For the workers to proceed to
strike without recourse to arbitration is
| as unjustihable as for the corporation to
reject the demand peremptorily without
| stances. *.-s.... - ~. -
| This is typical case. Such demands
and reflections and votes to strike are
being recorded in the news columns con-
stantly. There is no method to prevent
the precipitation of strike in any of
| these instances. No matter how grave
| the issues or how important the interests
dependent upon continued operation, the
| welfare of workers. corporations and pub
| lie rests upon the whim of few individ-
uals, company officials on the one side of
| the case and union leaders on the other.
| The United States has no effective ma
| chinery for invocation i'm such emergen-
cies. a short time ago a switchmen' s
strike in the northwest occasioned great
| suffering and heavy losses throughout d
wide area. How often must this lesson
| be repeated before it is learned to- the
point of the adoption OF just and eff
| ficent system of automatic arbitration?