The Washington times., 1919-10-19

siderate and tender to the forces
/ which victimized II so thoroughly in
I the past.
Strikes show Way Wlnd Lies.
Strikes are merely a symptom Of
industrial unrest; and nothing is ever
settled permanently through them.
They represent the only means OF di-
( rect action which the conservative Ia
/ Dor forces in the United States have
ever adopted. Mr.. Gompers has
pointed out that the syndicalists and
the J. W. ". have other methods, and
IL the blind reaction Of the employers
fOf this country throws labor into
their control, the reaping Of the
WhirlWind will be theirs. Mr.. Com
pers might have gone mucn further
than he did with entire justification.
He might have told the national in
dustrial conference that the old-line
craft union policy OF the A. +. OF L.
was just about done with: that labor
is about to adopt a constructive policy
that calls for the cleaning Of all the
Augean stables OF industry. All that
he said was that the loss Of the steel
strike would give the conservative
labor group a bOdy-blOW, and that he
was within the truth.
Coal New Storm Center.
In few more days, the threatened
coal strike viii be the storm center Of
the industrial situation. For good or
for ill, the miners have taken an alb
solutely cleau-cut, stand pat" posi-
ton. Their demands may or may not
be reasonable, but the miners are
ready TO face the entire country if
need be, in defense Of them. 1t is to
be hoped some avenue to compromise
will be found Either compromise or
the Communicating Of the mines must
come for the Government, in q situa-
ton like this, must act.
The public is going to fnd that the
miners have real case. These men,
not the despised Ignorant foreign
ers' of southern Europe, but Of Eng
lish, Welsh, and Scotch descent, have
watched the naturalization OF mines
in Great Britain, now nearing a sue
cessful elimination. with shap eye.
They have been swept BY the spirit OF
Robert Smillie; they are conscious Of
their power, and also Of their wrongs,
which are Of long standing. Perhaps
the bitterest Of their critics will ad-
NIT that the life Of q miner is not one
conducive to a spirit OF sweet reason
ableness and that they have the right
70 fight for a more human existence
with every economic weapon they can
muster.
Miners Are Crusaders.
There Is little doubt, Of course,
that these miners are ahead OF the
times in demanding a thirty-hour
week. But all the pioneers in the
long crusade for the eight-hour day.
which is still far from being won in
industry, met exactly the same kind
OF bitter criticism that is being meted
out to the miners now. As Mr.. Comp
ers pointed out to the Industrial cous
gress, it iB only a matter OF seventy
years since England permitted chill
dren Of tender age to be worked
twelve, fourteen and sixteen hours a
day in the mines. The movement for
the reduction Of hours Of work is a
continuous process. Progress is being
forcing the times on the thi-ty-hour |
week, II is only because they are de-
termined TO keep abreast OF their
British brethren.
But Industrial unrest Is not TO be /
measured alone by strikes or BY the |
threat Of strikes. Throughout the |
country there is unrest Of a kind
which IS not articulate, not asssrtiVe;
which broOds behind the doors Of
homes which knows nothing Of labor
unions or any sort OF group-action. |
Here also is the realiEatiO- nthat
something Is wrong" and the hope
that the Government viii do some |
thing about IL.
Middle Class wakes UB.
Even among the middle classes OF i
Americans, however, hope Is fast van /
ishing that mere legislative palIia- /
tives viii DO anything for them. /
Oimly they are beginning TO see the /
real significance Of the economic pro-
cess. They sense the rotten and tot /
tering structure that Mr.. Chadbourne /
talked about and know that heroic /
action is necessary IL IL is to be
saved.
1Tiddle-class America is likely to 4
stew in its own juice" for a long
time to come, and leave to organized
aboF the burden and the iniative in
affecting a new balance OF power in
industry. In many ways, the gains Of
abOr will be the gains Of the salariat /
llsO; In other ways their interests
Ire apart. whatever happens, out OF
he new situation there must how
greater power and greater recogni-
ion to the men who do the usefult
Ind productive work OF the world
land and brain worker alike.
1t is not too early TO hail the new
ra- Tremendous reactionaFy forces
IRE opposed to IL, and will fight il 70
he end bu;t they are little more than
Madam Partingtons. trying to stem
he tide. While an Industrial con-
erence in Washington Is arguing
,ver collective bargaining, the nation
: going into a period in which two
forces are to fight for
with the result almost
OreOrdained. It Is impossible to cor
IueT men. No crusade for human
lights fails in the end. The same
pIrit which brought political
democracy into the world will win
or Industrial democracy.