The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-25
The High Cost of Strikes

The Chicago Tribune believes the lack of CO.
operative effort between labor and capital and a
general failure to appreciate moral values account
for the prevalence of strikes in all parts of our
country. The cost of suspension of productive
agencies, no matter what the cause, Is to be felt,
the Tribune believes, in an increase in living ex-
penses. Or, in other words, every time plant is
idle, no matter who brought about the suspen-
sion, production ceases and the scarcity of COM
lnodities is increased. And the scarcer commodi-
ties become, the higher goes their price.
Almost every person who has made an in
vestigation of the high cost of living cites the in
terruption of production as one cause, and sug-
gests as remedy increased production. The
unanimity of opinion on this point should con-
vince the most doubling Thomas that there is
virtue in its logic.
Every time strike halts production, the out
put of goods is appreciably diminished. In an
era when great production is absolutely necessary
TO restore goods consumed by war and to offset
the inability of forty million men, under arms for
five years, to produce every cessation of industry
aggravates an acute situation.
The reasoning of the Tribune follows:
Strikes and rumors of strikes have become so
much part of our daily routine that more than
trouble himself to find what they are all about.
In a great many of these cases he probably
couldn't find out if he tried; even trained investi
gators have been baffled in an effort to discover
the real grievances. Some men strike for higher
wages, some for better working conditions, and
some it would seem, for the pleasure of striking.
We speak of the present period one of fer
ment, as one in which great psychological forces
d.
fathers would probably have scorned such ex-
plantations as mere euphemisms. They would
suggest, we think searching of hearts to dis
cover whether our trouble after all is not simply
a general yielding to the old temptations of idle
ness and luxury; whether as a matter of fact we
are not suffering from Discrimination to perform,
faithful work. to attend to duty and to live
simply and frugally.
These questions imply moral point of view,
but we are of the opinion that they could be prof
itably considered from the standpoint solely of
our material welfare. The tendency to strike on
the least provocation, the tendency to skimp
work and curtail production, the tendency toward
extravagant living-all of these clearly operate
to undermine material prosperity.
They operate primarily to increase the cost
of living. 1t cannot be repeated too often that
the world is desperately in need of production
Industrial Europe is dsorganized not only by
strikes, but by various and conflicts fol-
political power We in America are not so badly
off, but we too suffering from widespread in
dustrial dsorganization caused chiefly by strikes
Now it is obvious that the greater number OF
strikes the greater will be the falling off in pro
ductive output and the higher prices will rise
No one in his senses would deny labor the priv
ege of seeking to better it's condition. but, one
writer puts it, the present efforts in this direction
suggest nothing so much as attempt to lift
oneself by ones bootstraps.
Employers cannot altogether escape thu
blame for the prevalence of strikes; they have
an obligation to pay their workmen living wage
and if they do not do so we cannot complain il
labor resorts to it's most effective weapon.
The point is that there is too little realiza
The Fa1