The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-02-01
WHY NOT A COURT TO
SETTLE WAGE DInPuTEsg

Editor The star The United
States entered the European war be-
cause the nations over there could
no; carry on their war without in.
jury TO US.
The nations Of the world have
come 20 rub elbows 10 such an ex.
ten, that the rights OF others. appar.
entity not concerned. must be re-
spcctrd
For the rafne reason. the Innocent
public always gets u In the neck
when capital and labor fall out,
And for tins same reason Il be.
hoovcs this innocent third party now
10 insist upon a remedy which viii.
30 far aa may humanity 30 done. oh.
waite the danger Of third persons be-.
lag hit b. stray brlckhatH.
when you and I differ over the 10
cation Of our boundary line. we have
no right. either ono Of us. 20 forcibly
take what We want. ono from the
other We go to- court And there
IN then. laws being observed. no dan.
ser Of our mutual nciEhbor being
shot
Nor do we. II a difference arises
over the price of an article bought
so to zach others bank and demand
and take the others bank account
venture the assertion that the
vast majority OF men and women. at
ieaa, Of this United States. are law.
abiding.
repeat. then. the question first
above.
our rahid. high strung union labor
friends viii answer AT once; why.
any such court win D. CONTROL
LED. meaning. OF course. by the
CAPITALISTS.
And no may our Judges Of the
courts We now possesses. Yet who
would diHpense with them al;og.th.
err None save tho anarchists. who
desplse all restraint. who are erimi.
nails AZ heart
without attempting 90 excuse the
many delinquenoics u the judges
We know. yet courts are essential to
Justice. and "a we are all human. hu.
man courts are the only ones we
may devise.
Likewise. II such n court may be
controlled BY one element In our so
cieiy. 40 may u by another. The
power OF money. while not To he de-
MED. II not the only power TO which
men bow. Pride. fame. etc. are also
10 - rcckoned with. and II II not
inconooivahie that the votes Of the
many. and the laborerH constitute
tho many. will be- equally powerful
10 pcrvcrt tn. course OF justice thru
even such tribunal
Indeed. our own present chief OK.
ccutivc. iliusirious as he e.. canno,
be said 20 have discounted altogoth.
or the votes OF the inborcrs.
Parcn,he;icaily. let mo remark. 80
long "a men are selfish and try TO
grab. one from another. more than
tho one Is entitled 10. there viii be
inequalities. The millennium is not
TO bc reached without more and
more Christianity.
But the principles upon which our
present economic structure ia built.
u seems to me. are not just. Strikes.
however, do not repudiate those
principles. but rather affirm them.
one Of those principles IN that II Is
just. right and equitable TO charge
all the traffic viii bear"
This is but another way Of stating
the law OF supply and demand And.
given absolutely free play. IL is more
than possiblc-in fact probable
that tho law OF supply and demand
is a natural law. and therefore n Just
law II 80 happens. tho. that this
law IL not allowed to act freely. but
Is perverted by numerous combina.
tons on one side and the other.
II becomes necessary, therefore. in
approSimatinR justice I'm the particu.
lar controversy. 20 find out, not
what the traffic will bear" but
what the traffic ought to bear" In
other words. what Is Justly due TO Ia. /
Dor and what Is justly due to capital |
Strikes are predicated on tho the |
DRY that laborers are entitled TO /
whatever they can compel the mas
ter to give them which, as before |
said. would be entirely just II tho |
law OF supply and demand were al. |
lowed free and unlimited exercise.
Hut this In exactly the theory upon /
which tho masters OF industry today |
are acting. They. by their power.
which IS a money power, and the /
power OF combination. demand Just
as much labor for ms little money as
they can compel their laborors TO
give.
Tho theory OF one Is no more right
than the theory OF the other. Both
adopt the use OF force. OF one kind
,r another, II Is not 10 bc wondered
Il that the common laborcrs. having
but one kind OF force. namely brute
force. to be exercised singly or I'm
masses, shall use that sole kind of
force which they possess.
The power OF reason has little 20.
ency upon the immediate parties to
| controversy. It's persuasivencss is
Usually greatest upon the minds OF
persons. and hence, In
he present instance, II ia probable
hat the innocent public, which will
10 most easily persuaded 70 see the
light, will compel the adoption of n
reasonable method of settling such
disputes.
But II is time for some one 10 act.
There must be euch n t,,h,n,t |