Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-08-25
THE QUESTION OF STRIKES. THE Trend of the Times
BIZ FREDEkIo =. HAsKIN.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Aug 21.-In the month of Au-
gust 1916 with national prosperity running HIGH with
the civilized world unprecedented state of excite
ment and turmoil the United States is being swept by
epidemic of strikes The threatened railroad strike
which has brought to the brink of calamity which
experts would be equivalent to irst-cass
has engufed public attention to the exclusion OF
all other strikes actual or threatened but moments
thought shows that the railroad dispute is only one
of many.
We had, all a few months. not only
rels between capital and labor but strikes of garment
workers, of traction employees of miners of milkmen,
of boxmakers. and strikes in dozen other industries
each of them affecting less directly but vitality
the national prosperity.
epidemic o strikes s new thing. The
try seen many $500 strikes in a single year
about ten day. Most people have regard
the strike menace something like the poor whom
always have with condition regrettable but
unavoidable, which be endured because it can't
This public attitude is of the fea-
the problem, for the question of strikes
not static condition, but living movement that is
changing and progressing from point point for bet
ter for worse. This movement has got to be
trolled and directed by nationwide pressure of public
opinion.
past, custom has great
in the problem long big strike hurt
our particular business When the strike was settled
we forget about strikes a result a
today can still bring us to the edge of national ca
lamity.
Another mistaken viewpoint is that which would
regard organized labor the public different
and often antagonistic parties Organized labor is
part of the public. It's ranks two and a
half million stronghold far from 10 per of the
ton, when you include its dependents
it is not only theoretically but actually of what
speak of "the third party commemorative gen.
eral public" When the railroad strike mkmen
and motormen and miners pay the price, whether the
strike succeeds fails When the strike the
engineers baby goes without milk In other words
when the strike question is regarded a a whole the
interest of the most ardent identical
with the public interest.
And the public interest, the interest US,
is to secure means by which disputes may
be settled without industrial The analogy be-
tween strikes warfare has often been drawn. and
has claimed that last resort. both in
evitable Whatever may be true of war, this is
tainlv not true strikes If is inevitable,
inevitable because there is existing power which
a nation of first class feels that it should bow
In event of deadlock between two such nations
the only resort is the sword.
But in event of a deadlock between two parties
within nation, there is power above them both to
which they with all dignity submit-the power of
the whole The individual submits to this
continually in actual practice, quite irrespective of
what may regard the justice of it's decision. If
YOU lose lawsuit where you consider you have all
the right your side, you do declare vendetta
against your opponent and the judge. You swallow
the Injustice for the of society
sary to by decisions OF course you help
DRY this is the only system which society
The question today is whether organized labor and
organized capital have reached the position the pr
vate citizen who abides by court decision whether