The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1918-06-28
Arbitrate!
~
BY BOOTH HARRINGTON
OF The TigiI0ntss

In wartime the strike is not the rem
edy for profiteering. Publicity and ac-
tion by the government are the rene
dies for profiteering. Profiteering that
brings on strike is, in effect, not bet
ter than treason; but strike may it.
self be an attempt to ''profiteer" and
therefore not better in result than
treason. Every sensible person, how
ever, understands that workmen are
entitled to as high wages as they can
get without interfering with the utmost
possible efficiency Of industry engag-
ed In the prosecution. of the war. A
strike does interfere with such eff
cheney, and therefore means larger
casualty list and increased danger to
the country. That is to say: if am
war industry workman on strike am
prolonging the war and adding to the
risk of Americas defeat in the war.
This means that I cause death and
wounds to certain number Of Ameri-
can boys who would have come home
safe and sound to their mothers If
hadn't gone on strike. That is the SIM
pie truth; and If am impeding war
industry by going on strike, I might
just as well have torn and tortured the
bodies Of those boys myself. The re-
sponsibility Is so terrible that >no work
man who understands 1t would take 1t,
except to avoid greater amount Of
torture and death at home through
starvation wages.
Arbitration will give him what he
needs and what he justifiably wants.
The whole country understands that
workman cannot live today on the
wages Of ten years ago. Wages have
got to advance, of course, as the price
Of commodities advances; and the
price of commodities advances, Of
course, as wages advance; though it is
to the advantage Of the workman to
let the price of commodities begin to
advance first. But his wages must
take account of higher prices, and per-
NIT him not only life. liberty and the
pursuit of happiness, but allow him
to save, as well. That is all that any
man on this earth Is entitled to wheth-
er he be garbage man or kaiser; and
1t is all that is worth getting; and the
ideal Of this country is that every man
shall have 1t. This is what we are
fighting for; that no man shall take
away this right from another man,
that no man shall make another man
his slave, as the Germans have made
conquered labor their slave and as
they would make slaves of us if they
conquered us.
Now such is the temper of our coun-
try that the responsibility for strike
which means more death, more Grip
ping, more binding, more shot away
faces, for our young men, sons of
workingmen and sons Of capitalists,
fighting side by side and comrades
"over there" as they will be over here
when they come home-the RESPONSE
bility for such a strike is an infinitely
heavier and more dangerous thing
than those who rashly assume that re-
sponsibility can know, and no decent
human being could be so selfish and so
treacherous to his country as knowing
ly to bring about such a strike.
And the temper of the country in
these days is to know causes as well
as results. Where the greediness Of a
profiteer has caused strike, his money
will not be envied him for he shall not
have 1t, nor his liberty either. And it
Is unthinkable that American work
men, or workmen who are human
beings, for that matter-it is unthink-
able that they will strike, even for mere
justice, without having to the last ut
most atom of their energy pressed for
settlement by arbitration.
The syndicate service, founded by
Samuel Gompers and representing the
point of view Of the American Fedora,
ton of Labor, reports an address by
William Moses, president Of the Pat
tern Makers Union Of Great Britain. |
Mr.. Moses was speaking in the Labor |
Temple in San Francisco. He said: |
"We were requested to abrogate our
working rules and agreements i
to give up everything that tended to re-
strict output. Being convinced /
that this was necessary, unless we de-
sired to see the entire world subjugat-
ed by German autocracy, we recon-
mended that our unions submit to the
request made by the government.
This meant that there was to
be no stoppage Of work during the war.
It meant the acceptance of compulsory
:. We have secured
better results through arbitration than
BY resorting to the strike, which should
be used as last resort after all else
has failed. If this is done, the strike
weapon will rest in its scabbard."
And Mr.. Moses said another thing
worth thinking about. "Today labor in
Great Britain is more prosperous
than ever before In its history. :.
Dur influence is greater than ever be-
fore and our workers are enjoying
wealth beyond the dream of avarice."
NOT only is arbitration necessary