East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1914-01-14

cause Of the Panama canal the west
Is especially in line for development.
There is no chance for the republican
party to regain power by the dinner
rail route.
So much for the present. What the
future will bring forth no one can tell.
l. is logical to suppose, however. that
the democrats will in time lose out
rcther than too radical. A party that
is in the saddle is seldom overradical
tism Whether the defeat OF the dem
ocrats when it does come will be by
the republican party. by the pro-
gressives or by the socialists is idle
speculation at this time. That is a
game that may not be staged for sew
eral years to come.
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In view of its proximity TO the cop
per country the following comment
by the Chicago
In the News on the Michi-
Copper Country. gan strike situation
is of much interest.
The Chicago News is a very sober
minded journal:
John Mitchell. the labor leader. says
truly that through the trade agree
ment lies the road to permanent in
dustrial peace. The individual work
Ell, Mr. Mitchell asserts. cannot bar
gain advantageously with the corpor-
ate employer for the sale of his labor.
He does not know the market He
has only one mans labor to sell,
while the employer engages hundreds
or thousands of men and can easily
dispense with the services of any one
of them. Permanent improvement
calls for the fixing of wages, hours
and working conditions by agreements
representing the two sides acting col
lcctively.
In the copper country of northern
Michigan the mine operators refuse
tc accept the principle of collective
bargaining. The ground offered for
the refusal is that the Western Fed
Grafton of Miners has a'reputation for
lawlessness and is permeated with the
spirit of socialism Whether the rea-
sens given are valid or not, it may
we'll be that employers willing to ac-
cept the principle of collective bar
gaining have good cause for refusing
tc deal with particular labor organi-
zation. For example, that organiza-
tion might be notoriously addicted to
breaking contracts. In such an event
the employer should indicate a will
lingness to apply the principle of col
lective bargaining through some other
labor organization.
san copper district have not done.
Instead, they desire to continue the
system under which powerful mining
interests on the one side enter int
contract with individual miners on the
other side. The former require ap-
plications for employment to sign an
agreement not to join the union.
This practice is less in keeping
with the spirit of the time than with
certain. manifestations of feudalism.
that are in evidence in some copper
towns of the northern peninsula. For
instance. the public schools, the
churches, the armories and other pub
lie institutions. as well as the homes
and business houses of most of the
are on company land and are
held under short term leases.
Mine managers of northern Michi-
gan should not carry on an industrial
conflict that is injurious to many 9TH
ers as we'll as to themselves if they
can adjust matters by the desirable
process Of abandoning antiquated ideas
that are inconsistent with the enjoy
ment OF modern corporate privileges
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