The Washington times., 1919-10-28
Today
The Day of Arbitration.
100000 and SO, 100000.
Which viii RuIe7
By ARTHUR BRISBANE.
(Copyrrxht- 1871


States is important, the strike
question
Ever since calling strikes ceased
TO be crime, industrial problems
have been settled on a strike basis.
The men have quit, saying, 'Pay
us what we want, or we won't
come back" Sometimes they came
back without getting more, when
employers were strong and there
vas plenty Of labor. Hunger drove
them back
Sometimes they stayed out until
they got what they wanted, when
hbor was scarce, and employers
did not want their plants idle; love
Of profit drove the employers.
Old strikes were comparatively
small affairs. Occasionally they
were disagreeable and bloody, but
the biggest Of them affected only
one group, or at most one city.
Like other business enterprises,
the strike has grown in bigness,
importance and seriousness.
A successful railroad strike
would tie up industries, and starve
or half starve the people in the
cities.
A, successful coal strike would
tie up the railroads, to begin with,
and everything else. While four
or i've hundred thousand men were
fighting it out with their employ
ers, millions of men would be idle
By force; employers couldn't hire
them, even if they wanted to.
= There comes from the White
House the Presidents statement
that II is a crime to plan a strike
b benefit half a million and injure
one hundred millions.
The workmen say If a small
strike Is legal, a big strike is legal.
II the Government doesn't want
the consequences it should compel
mine owners to give in.
4ine owners say If they concede
. workday of six hours, a working
week Of five days now, the next
thing would be a four-hour day, a
ehree-day week, and gradually
labor would reach the vanishing
point.
r It II . question the public viii
nave to solve for itself. Ninety
nine million five hundred thou
sand citizens are more important
than i've hundred thousand coal
miners. The ninety-nine million
I'VE hundred thousand must be
protected first, even though tenn
Dorary injustice or apparent dep
Iivation of rights should Be in
~iicted upon the FIVE hundred thou
sand y
When war threatens the entire
nation dpu abroad, men are
cho6sn without their consent and
sent to be killed to protect the
millions. When industrial war
threatens one hundred million
people, the hundred million must
b protected. no matter who suf-
fers, no matter what fine speeches
may be made about the right Of a
man to work or not to work
It is not for the five hundred
thousand coal miners, or for the
handful of men that make for
tunes by owning the mines, to de-
eide what shall be done or how the
thing shall be settled.
The people of the United States
own the mines. All private own
ership is simply a condition exist
ing by cor sent of the Government,
one that can be ended at-any mo
ment under the fight of eminent
domain.
{ The five hundred thousand coal
miners are a minority in the ma
tion- Whatever they think or want
must give way to the needs of the
majority. That is the law in re-
public.
Suppose, instead of strike cut
ting of coal. another strike that
would cut OF water.
Suppose private companies
~owned" the water, and their
workmen decided to cut of the
water while settling quarrel with
their employers.
How long would the people toll
crate being deprived Of fresh
vater7 How many children would
they allow 10 die Of thirst? How
loug would they tolerate such a
condition or listen to arguments
in favor Of the right Of men to
strike?
The difference between coal and
wster Is not 50 great. You can
live only six days without water.
Yea might live several months
without coal But to stop the sup
ply Of coal Injuries every hsman
Ssang in the country; stops indus
trial production az time when il
s. absoluteiy necessary.
And there is no doubt that in
80 way or another the ninety-nine
million i've hundred thousand peo-
PIE Of The United States win make
mp their minds to decide, without
Arst having coal, railroads, water.
MIX or mail suddenly cut OF, what
Ghculd be done to treat employers
a1d workers justly.