The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-02-21


food and water, and heat, and light,
and health, and safely, upon the un-
interrupted operation of great bust
ness enterprises for production and
transportation, has brought a new
point of application for the force of
the strike.
The effective threat Of general
Goa strike. or g general railroad
strike, is not that If such and such
demands are not compiled with the
coal companies or the railroad COM
panies will cease to make profits. /.
is that if such and such demands are
nc. compile. with mi lions OF A,neIi-
cans will be deprived of things neces
sary TO their existence. The demands
may be right or they may be wrong.
Whe her they be right or wrong the
people of the country who are de-
pendent upon the continued operation
OF those industries must in some way
secure compliance with the demands
in order to save their lives, unless
the makers of the demands reent or
! are controlled
This situation presents with start.
| ling distinctness the question whsther'I
our American popular government is
TO continue, or is 70 be changed into q
class dictatorship
THE people over whom one class
or section holds lawful power of life
or death to compel compliance with
its demands is not sovereign. 1t
does not govern. 1t Is subject to the
control of the dominating class. The
demands may be moderate today. but
j they are moderate only through the
! forbearance of the controlling class
and ordinary knowledge OF human
nature teaches us that with power
unres 'rained the demands will be-
come oppressive tomorrow
The question is not of form II is
one OF substance. It is Who exer-
ciscs the real power of government,
the peop'e or the class?' If 1t be the
class which rules, while II viii doubt
less be for line less brutal here In
purpose than the proletariat of Lenine
and Trot2ky, the government will be
in its essence the same, 1t vii be
class control over he majority, es.
tablished and maintained through fear
of actual physical injury, fear of cold
and hunger and darkness and
pestilence the stopping Of the ma
chinery upon which life depends.
IF we are to maintain the princi-
pies OF our Government or all the
people by ell The people, we must
apply those principles now to this
situation II we are a self-govern-
ing peopse We must govern and not
be governed. We should not attempt
to make any man work against his
will We should not attempt to take
away the right to strike. II is labor's
great protection. Blu. we should by
Law limit the right to strike at the
point where it comes in conflict with
the comlnunity's higher right of self.
preservation. No man and no set of
men can justly claim the right TO UNI
dertake the performance of serv-
ice upon which the health and life of
others depend. and then to abandon
the service a. will. The line between
such a performance ana an ordinary
strike should be drawn by law.
"Inseparab'y connected with the
right OF control by the governing peo-
pie is the duty Of Justice resting upon
them. II the people by law prohibi
organized labor from holding them up
! to enforce demands the people are
bound to provide means to ascertain
whether the demands are Just, and
for enforcing them IL they be found
just. Tha duty calls for tho estab
lishment Of a competent and impart-
ial tribunal and for the enforcement
Of its decisions"