Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1913-08-01
Where Labor is Unreasonable.


The order of the United States District
Court for Illinois directing that a short electric
line, serving number of suburban towns out from
Chicago, should be sold because of inability to
pay operating expenses if required to accede to
the demands of it's employees, is an indication of
the absolute unreasonableness of employees, or
labor, as the term is most generally used, in GER
tain instances
The employees of the road demanded an in
crease in wages, which the company declared it
was unable to pay. The men did not quit the
service of the company, but Struck for the
wages they demanded. The result was, the COM
pany asked that receiver he appointed to take
charge of the property. After going over the
books of the company noting its fixed expenses
and it receipts from passenger traffic, and COM
putting the amount represented by the increase
demanded by the employees of the road, the
receiver reported to the court that the road could
not be operated and pay the increase in wages
Upon receiving the receivers report, the
Court requested the employees of the road to APP
pear before it. and forty-two of them responded.
They were asked if they would return to work at
the former wages paid them, and they refused
Nothing being left for the court to do but to
order the road solo, such order was promptly en-
tered. The result will be that the stockholders
of the road will get practically nothing for their
interests, for the property of the company will be
of little use to any one, consequently it will
bring but fraction of its cost when sold as de-
creed by the court. Not only will the stockholders
lose most of their investment but several towns
viii be deprived Of the electric car service, thus
resulting in unlimited Inconvenience aad trouble
The position taken by the strikers. as will be
clearly seen. is the sole and only cause of the
owners of the car lire losing their money and
the people whom it served being deprived of it's
benefits But what does it matter how many
suffer or what damage or less follows? They de-
manded more money, and it was more money they
wanted. If they had decided, as individuals, that
they could not live on the wages being paid them
and had quit the service of the road and gone
about their business or in search of another posi-.
ton, no fault could have been found with them.
but to strike" was palpable intention to force
some one to pay them their demands or bring
ruin to the owners Of the road and hardship tC
the people whom the road served.
Had they quit. as they should have DONE the
road might have secured other men to take their
places, even though it. were unable to pay any
returns whatever on the investment So long as
the road was being operated there was present
the possibility of extending it at some future
time. or conditions so changing that it would be
able to increase its revenue until something could
be realized for the owners. Furthermore, thous
ands of people would have had the benefits OF
transportation. The decision to strike invar.
iaby carries with it another decision, to permit
no one else to take the place of the strikers
With every strike. we learn of the attendant dis
order, assaults mobs, murders. and rioting OF
every kind.
We fail to see how men who work on a salary
can hone to benefit themselves by such actions
Moreover, we do not understand how men. who
are honest at heart could go to such extemes,
which naturally leads to the CONCLUSION that very
few men who resort to such extreme measures
are conscientious in their actions.
Fashions And immortality
The STARTLING increase nf immortality through