The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-11-20
INDUSTRIAL UNREST

For twenty-five ur thirty years the sentinels on the watch
towers have been telling MS that the next great war would be
between labor and capital.
From the numerous conflicts going on in the industrial world
one would be led to believe that the battle is imminent, but it
will not come,
The railroad mems troubles. the dockmen's troubles, the steel
workers troubles may be looked upon as skirmishes or picket iir-
ing, but force can settle nothing permanently The steel strikers
may be starved into submission, so may the dockmen and the rail
road men. This will quiet matters for awhile, but the cause OF
unrest will remain to annoy and disturb.
What is the cause of unrest? What does labor want? More
wages and better conditions.
This is a part OF the truth, but. as Schopeuhauer tells us,
under every physical fact there lies a metaphysical fact, and meta
physical facts are mos. elusive,
Labor, through organization OF union workers, has become
2 concrete entity, Just as capital has done through corporate or
ganization, and these two forces are watching each other as Rome
watched Carthage, awaiting the moment to strike. The objective
casus belb is not very difficult to find, but the subjective cause,
the underlying metaphysical fact, is a problem that escapes the
most energetic pursuit, II someone could formulate the problem
and state it clearly he would have more than half solved it.
In a general and an unscientiic way we know that capital
wants more capital, more power, and that it is not always scrupu-
lous in the method it uses for obtaining its desires; but that is
neither here nor there, Labor wants greater compensation and
better working conditions, and to obtain these blessings it has
many plans and theories, which it tries with more or less success.
The present demands for fewer hours and a shorter week are
physical facts easily apprehendible, but the underlying ~metaphysi-
cal fact is far otherwise. II may not be even guessed. Those
who 60 in quest OF it are no more successful than the boy who
attempts to put salt upon a birds tail, 1t cannot be ~symboized
or expressed symbolically. One reason for this is that the ques-
ton is a new one, and the world has not had time to study it
out and formulate the real problem. There was no industrialism
III ~ WOTiu uUit elRHy wears ago, WNeN VI was discovered tHdt
steam could be made to do the work Of muscle, and that every
pound OF fuel on the earth is convertible into man power or horse
power. '
The world waited long for this discovery. The first mis-.
sionary who left Rome TO convert and civilize Britain had to walk
or ride on some domestic animal until he reached the lttoraI, where
he took a ship and was waited by the wind to his destination. In
that day there were only three motor forces known to the world
muscle, wind and flowing water, which depends on gravity.
One thousand years later, when the first bishop %journeyed from
England to Rome, the facilities for travel had not improved any,
and he travelled Just as did the first missionary travel from Rome
to BRITAIN. Muscle had a practical mOnODOlV as motive power and
was without a competitor There was no machinery to do the
work OF labor, and there was no unrest or disturbance. The rela-
tons OF master and servant or OF master and slave, as it really
was, were harmonious, They were held together by mutual
loyalty.
When the duke OF Argyle was the head Of the great Clar
Campbell every member Of The clan would go the limit for him
Or any OF his underlords, and the duke and any Of his underord,
would go the limit for the meanest eansfnan as for the highest
There was community Of feeling and reciprocal interest felt There
were no strikes or lockouts or black lists or spy systems in those
days. We hear much nowadays about the interest Of labor and
capital are identical" "A fair days pay for a fair days work.
etc. Wen-meaning sophishcaton; vapid and frothy ~sophistica.
ton. In their larger relations, and as concrete entities, the in
tcrcsts Of labor and capital may be identical. They are from
national standpoint, surely. But the individual knows that hi
interest lies in getting all he can for his labor, and in reservin,
As much OF his time as he can for enjoyment and self improve
ment. The interest of capital is TO get all it can out of the in
dividual laborer in exchange for the very lowest price at which
that labor can be obtained,
Hence fewer days and shorter hours create more Jobs an
relatively lessen the number Of workers. Under the law Of suppl,
and demand this means higher wages.
Logical, but the trouble is psychological.
Something must be brought in to replace the ancient loyalt,
that formerly held employer and employee together in bonds o
peace and auity, Labor conferences have contributed nothing Il
the solution OF the problem A laissez faire policy may do quit
as much as the best intenioned efforts of vain human attempts a
a solution.
We may doubt the efficacy OF orthodox religious dogmas. bu
1T is easy to see that we must put more soul into our human rela
tons il conditions are to improve.
The selection of Carter Glass to succeed the late Senate
Martin is one that the whole country will approve. Mr., Glas
was a valued member Of the house and gave promise of being
worthy successor to Secretary McAdoo, The senate offers