The evening times., 1911-08-21
URESTRAINED DEMOCRACY

These are not the first strikes in
England by good many: but they
are rather peculiar for the DISPOSE
tion shown by the rank and file to
disregard the authority of their own
leaders, and even to trample upon
agreements and contracts to which
they themselves have assented. This
headstrong, defiant and lawless spirit
manifested itself early. Englismen
have very generally adopted what
they call "conciliation boards" for
the adjustment of labor disputes.
These conciliation boards are nothing
but boards Of arbitration-the Eng
lish having great facility in getting
up new names for old and common
things. These conoiliatton boards
are made up Of representatives of
both sides in the dispute, and Of
course their use is to secure an ad-
justment of the quarrel by argument
and free consent Of all the parties
rather than by costly and Injurious
test of main strength. A few days ago
the chairman of one of these boards
attempted to speak to the strikers at
an open air meeting in Liverpool.
This chairman was not a representa-
tive of the Lancashire and Yorkshire
Railway company. but of the men
themselves. He was their own chair
man but he was not heard. He finally
had to leave the platform under
shouts of 1--WE are out to smash the
board;" or, in other words, the strik-
ers began by throwing arbitration, as
| 30 l.h
overheard.
Later, that same day, another street
meeting was held in another quarter
of Liverpool. The speakers at this
meeting represented the strike spirit,
and knew how to set this spirit in a
blaze. One speaker is thus reported
by the Daily Telegraph's cores
spondent:
"He urged the men to be chary of
the central board. The interests Of
the men on strike were far more i'm
portant than the prestige of ten or
twelve men who happened to be on
the central board. If the men were
pressed on all sides to rely upon the
conciliation board he hoped they
would not give way. The Lancashire
company and the London and North
western Railway company had re-
fused to recognize the Amalgamated
society, therefore they had no right
to complain of the action of the men
who struck work. 1t was intended to
form central joint strike commit
tee, and all the stations were to be
effectively picketed. They might trust
the transport workers of Liverpool to
stand by them If the industries of
Liverpool were stopped the blame
would rest not on the men, but upon
the railway companies for the way in
which they had dealt with their men. :"
Another speaker said this:
"They had had enough Of concilia-
tion boards. They were not going to
formulate their own demands and put
them before the different companies.
There were now $500 men out but on
the following day there would be A.
900. Wages were worse than they were
fifteen years ago. Whilst the cost of
living had increased II per cent, and
wages 13 per cent, the wages Of the
Lancashire and Yorkshire goods
porters had gone up Cd per week, and
been reduced Is Cd. Cancellation
boards were a farce, and they had
finished with them. Cancellation
boards were going over the landing
stage. They did not want them. "1s
that the opinion Of Liverpool" he
asked, and the reply was thundered
out, Eyes"
Further than this irresponsible talk,
the first clause in the formal demands
made by the strike committee of the
Cheshire line reads thus: abolition
of the conciliation board" The pecu-
liar efficacy of arbitration is, as the
rule, that it is compromise. Neither
side gets all that it asks for, and u.s.
ually both sides get something. In
the application Of the arbitration
method to labor disputes, it is the
half for a quarter loaf that is better
than a prolonged and costly test of
strength. The singular fact about
these present English strikes is that
those concerned in them appear to be-
lieve that the time is ripe to demand
the whole loaf and to make the nec-
essary fight for it. In taking this
course, these English strikers do not
seem to have been restrained by any
agreements hitherto made by them or
by their duly authorized agents. Con-
tracts or no contracts, 1t has been
their plan in general to wipe the slate
clean, even where they themselves
had written obligations on it, and to
stake everything on their ability to
force their own will through.
In order to show in a general way
the economic grounds which these
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