The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-09-09

Exclusive Service The Survey Pres:
Bureau.l
Upon the healthy ambition of oul
workingmen to improve their efficl.
ency and to advance their position in
life depends our industrial and socia
progress. The strike is the acute man
Hesitation of the desire to improve
conditions. of employment. AS a last
resort, we cannot blame workingmer
for expressing their dissatisfaction
with oppressive conditions by striking
unless we provide a proper official
Courtsof Investigation which will tend
to secure justice without strikes.
Before the mutual losses of strikes
and lockouts are risked, two distinct
efforts at prevention should be made
The first is the attempt to peacefully
arrange for improved conditions while
work continues. Of course, this is
not always possible but it should al
ways be tried.
Even when negotiations have failed,
the strike is not yet in order. The
next move should be an appeal for ar
bitration. 1t is only after conferences
and then arbitration have either been
refused or have failed that employers
Or employed may be excused for in
flicting the serious blow caused by
stopping the wheels of their industry.
1t is much more costly TO dust in
duStrial differences during d strike
than before it. Arbitration by an i'm
partial tribunal before a strike is more
apt to establish just conditions than
will be established by the strike itself.
A strike, in fact, rarely settles a dis
pute on the basis of justice Whether
in the right or not, the stronger usually
wins and, the end leaves one Or the
other side ranking for retaliation
Let US assume that negotiations for
conference and attempts to secure ar
bitfation have failed and that a strike
has been called.
The employers try to fill the places
of the strikers-the latter try to pre-
vent this. Unfortunately, in many
strikes this effort to checkmate the
employer in his attempt to run his
business has been ACCOMPANIED with
violence and riot.
Violence leads to counter violence
and it has been limited that in some
cases employers have xetorted by in
timidating the intimid0tors. This Dro-
cedure savors of the middle-age meth
DDS of warfare and is a stepping stone
to anarchy. If the parties affected
c. not by peaceful conference succeed
il settling the strike, efforts to Sc
cure arbitration should again proceed.
Disinterested third parties of expert
ence, carefully selected, are frequently
helpful in clearing up misunderstand-
ings and in bringing order out of dis
order.
The fight to a finish is usually car
ried on when clear question of prin-
ciple seems to be involved In many
recent strikes wages and hours ap-
peared to be secondary considera tons
and the real issue was recognition of
the union. The right of workingmen
to organize should be unquestioned.
The employer who excludes a man
simply because he is a member of a
union is not acting in the spirit of
our day, which is one of organization
and cooperation On the other hand,
the union that attempts to force an
employer to exclude all non union men
is equally intolerant and unwise.
Strikes for better wages and shorter
hours are apt to meet with sympathy
and where the complaints are just,
grievances are likely to be remedied.
The strike simply for the enforced
closed shop, however, almost invaria-
bly, fails.
The public who suffer, especially |
through strikes affecting public utili-
ties, have a right to expect reasonable |
efforts to prevent the discomfort and