New-York tribune., 1919-03-02
Prayed
Nerves

OF the public nerves; the soldiers have hoo,
under a strain, the workers have been IN
der strain, most of the employers hayo
been hard put to It TO pay their oycos.
profits taxes and do not know what the g..
ure holds for them, and the whole public
including all of these classes, is hs;rjcd
with the excessive prices and the shortage,
OF the necessities Of life. Having nerves
does not tend to easy solutions of wba,
might be simple problems
There is the background. Here are Soma
Of the views Of the leaders as thev sv.
pressed them to me and an intimation os
possible solutions. First take the Rich,
hon ). {. Clynes, president of the General
Federation of Workers and lately in control
OF food He has one of The keenest minds in
1ne empire and comes from just outside Of
Manchester, in the heart of the industrial
section.
W hen the war began. 1t produced i'm.
med'ately III the ranks Of labor a willirr.
ness at once TO recognize n truce. IA cor.
''huc work, to set aside all contemplated
olalms Tor any concessions, to submit 10 q
very considerable increase in tic cost of
llVlhg' to carry that burden as one of the
cohdltlons q victory, to remain peaceful in.
dustrally until the war was over Tb.,
generally the frame of mind of ,bo
working classes in the first few month, ~
the war There was an instructive desire n
continue az work as necessary war meas.
urc' but worhmen who had got thomselyo,
INTO that frame of mind very soon got them.
selves out of it. Why?
ne war had not gone very long before
extraordinary sacrifices were called for
sacflhces that it appeared almost impos
siole Tor human nature to bear. am sa,is
ned 'hat human nature could have borne
'hose Sacrllces but for what he masses Of
fnen SURVEILLANCE sheets, ne,sspaner rc
ports, which showed a greater nrosnor;.v
from war conditions than had ever been
known IN times of peace, in profitcerim
by all sorts of shop owners. of distributor
contracts were set aside, organizat ions
winch had bound themselves not to ask for
concessions broke their word and insisted
upon concessions; and very soon We were
faced with a greater number Of wage oues.
tions, of claims, than had ever appearod
at any one time before.
The rise of prices was another canse
though 1T was secondary to the more provo
catiVe cause of profteerine. And by prof
teerng ! mean an unusual margin of pain
inevitably accruing to firms and businesses
doing trade under war conditions. do not
mean dishonest procedure or organized
arrangements
During the war workmen had revealed
TO them a power Of which they were no,
previously conscious. II was tho power
which alone could come from the appl;cs.
ton wisely or unwisely, of great numbers
strength lay IN unity and workmen. having
discovered that men could get by applica-
tlon of the power of numbers almost any
thing that they might demand had natural.
j., since the conclusion of the war. turned
to numbers for securing changes and condi-
'lons which they knew would never have
been entertained or considered before the
war began.
Il am not sure that | can exactly nu,aber
the causes of the present unrest: they are
many and various. They are not due 10 any
single condition; the grievances were real,
for the strike habit had not vet grown TO
the extent Of causing men to down tools
or to threaten to do so without some real.
substantial. underlying reason. Conditions
arising from the change from war to peace
work had to do with it. And then there is
the fear that. bad as tho conditions now
are, they might become worse. The rise
IN the prices of food which could not be
artiiicially lowered in moment by sny
method that could be devised, had some
thing to do with it. And fnctor which
has to he taken into account is nep-youne
and untried leaders have come TO the front
III the paet two years much OF tne sane ara
experienced leadership Of the labor move
nent has been surrendered and SIS plsce
has been taken by new men Tncse wm
have one simple remedy tor grieyancr,
the remedy which employers used bcicfs
the war force But this is not tho Old
time the bcttor British mofhod ia for hoh
sides 60 pct around table and talk ovef
the questions and try TO understand oil
points Of view. But the lessons taught 20
the workmen before the war ar TO what
force could do on one side nre being mi.
tinted by the workmcn now that the war is
over.
I'm the last generation the workman has
more schooling, more education and m
consequence more inclination to look his
hoss IN the face aud lers fear Of the sack
He has vote and n political party The
employer has n totally different human be-
ing to deal with and to work with pow than
was the case thirty years ago I hope thai
II is not harmful to tell employers thefs
things; perhaps they know them alrcsdy,
| am not unmindtul of the difficulties ol
employers, but wish them to appreciate
that these new workmen would require
new kind of treatment The workman's very
natural desire for Improvement is not to Do
allayed by means of Christmas parties OF
New Years gifts as in oden times"
British industry, and with it the whols
social structure Of the empire is to-ds!
wavering between moderate and cxtrsms
socialism, and for the moment the extrems
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