The Glenwood post., 1920-11-13
PUBLIC WELFARE PARAMOUNT

dent as time passes that some public
action should be taken to put an end
to strikes, for it appears as though the
country is no sooner out of one strike
than another strike is called in some
other portion of the country, with the
natural and inevitable result that bus
mess and industry and production are
hampered and damaged, and public
safety seriously menaced.
! While strikes are generally called
for the purpose or the ostensible pur-
pose of bringing about better condi-
tons or righting a wrong or an al
legged wrong which is imposed Oh
working men, it frequently happens
upon investigation that no wrong is
being committed against the workmen,
and even if there be wrong, the
strike is usually ineffective in righting
the wrong, and is always unsatisfact-
DRY, besides very expensive to both
parties.
We do not want you to infer from
the above that workingmen never have
a grievance, or that some action by
way of relief from unsatisfactory and
sometimes intolerable conditions
should not sometimes be taken. But
We seriously doubt whether the strike
furnishes the best remedy. Like law
suits, the winner is always loser, and
the other fellow is double loser.
1t is very evident that the public
has some rights and that the party to
a strike which infringes those rights
is almost invariably the loser. Very
seldom, indeed, is strike successful
where the element of public sympathy
is lacking. Some time ago the street
ear employees of Denver contemplated
a strike, although apparently they did
not know why. The matter was dis
cussed, and the best men in the union,
those who were the best citizens, OPP
posed the strike. But another meet
agitators secured control, and strike
was ordered, with the disastrous re.
suits with which you are quite famil-
lar. Five officers and leaders of the
union, some Of whom were loyal and
reasonable men, and who opposed the
strike, were sent to Jail. New men
were brought in to operate the cars;
the service for long time was very
poor; the men finally realized their
hasty and mistaken action and asked
that the conditions prevailing at the
time they struck, and which they then
said were bad, be restored, but to this
the manager would not consent, and
recently the union officially called the
strike off and some of its men have
gone back to work at their old jobs,
but as open shop employees.
Very much the same sort of action
was just recently taken by the coal
miners of northern Colorado, the api.
tators forcing the men out on a strike
in face of heavy demands for coal and
prospect of great suffering by the
people if the strike continued. The
men, however, held another meeting,
and this time sanity prevailed, and
they made it plain to the agitators and
leaders that they would not be de-
nf hn .,nh&
returned to their places, and the strike
was called Of.
Without doubt laboring men often
have just grievance, and they are
justified in asking and demanding thar
conditions be improved and that their
rights be respected But agtators and
politicians within many labor organiza-
tons, aspiring to leadership, regardless
of the welfare of the workmen or of
the public, have encouraged the men
to refuse fair settlement and have prac.
tcally forced the men to 90 on strike
regardless of how unjustificd such ac-
ton may have been.
But there is one organization over
all and greater than all, and that is
organized society, and when any other
or all other organizations fail TO ex-
ercise proper control to protect the
public it is the duty Of this orgnni-
zation, which is. the servant of all the
people, to assert and exercise its soy
ereign authority.
| II the leaders can no longer lead in