Norwich bulletin., 1920-05-21


But such cases are rare. The, everyday
resort either to war or to. strikes feE any
but the most imperative and ,inexprable
reasons should be absolutely impossible
in thoroughly sane society.
Another general fact is that strikes
almost invariably hurt innocent outsid-
ers vastly more than the angry combat
ants. When the coal-Ininers sacrifice
million dollars in wages with the os-
tensible. object of muleting the coal
mine-owners a million in profits and
thus forcing them to submission. they
sometimes succeed in that purpose. But
for every million they've lost themselves
and for every million they've cost the
mine oBneTs. that strike will have. cost
the innocent people who are neither
miners nor mine-owners at least ten mil
lions in money, to say nothing of suffer
| ing and sometimes death.
| That's where we outsiders have a
very real interest in strikes and where
we ought to have a voice, concerning
them. Rather, where we ought to use
the voice we already have. When
strike involves only Mr.. Employer and
Messrs. Employees the rest of us may.
if we choose. stand around as -specta-
| tors and yell, Go it, man." Go it
! bear" according to our sympathies. But
when either war or strike affects the
publics lives or liberties or happiness.
then we have the right to say whether
or no it shall be waged at our expense
1 don't know the details Of that Kan
sas experiment by which the state IN
dertakes to prevent any action which
shall cripple public utilities and endan
ger the general welfare. II may or may
not be practicable. 1t may or may not
be wholly just. Not knowing as yet
we can't any of us say. But something
Of that sort and along those lines must
come IL the majority is to be protected
against the frenzy or the greed Of the
minority.
1t isn't as IL this country's population
e was grouped in Just two opposed classes
$ those with capital and no labor
E against those with labor and no CAPT
E tai AS a matter of fact, these two
merge into each other everywhere. 1t is
T the purpose Of our system of government
y that they should. The perpetuity of our
national existence depends on their doing
S so. There is no hard-and-fast line. Ev-
|, cry savings bank depositor is a capital
u ist. Every man in the country can be
1t n capitalist, II he chooses and. care:
: enough about it TO exercise the necessary
:, energy, thrift and Judgment And sta
IS tistics prove that at least twelve millions
= Of us are that sort.
OF course we are, individually, small
y capitalists We'd each like to increas
y that average $500. Why not? That
= universal human nature. I s'pose Rookie
I Teller wants to increase his capital, toe
III 1t doesn't make any difference how
much he has, the average man want
- more. As the canny David Harum sal
= when doubling Johns service Of Thanks
giving turkey against his protestations
I've always noticed that a leetie to
" much was jest about enough" -
We're really the rulers of this cour
AZ try. if O. we decide to take charg
10 What W ~ goes. IL we say it lou
e enough and put zip enough into our lar
Ms guage.
ge It's high time that we. Of the farm
and the villages. who have been the il
nocent though not wholly uncoTnplainin
u victims in most of the recent "industrii
* disturbances" should make it clear tn;
cf we do not propose to continue perm;
Ie nently targets for the bricks thrown /
al either employers or employees. ostensib
nu at each other but with callous disreEar
70 for bystanders and adjoining window
~ Both sides are invariably eager to e,
~ plain that they only want fair deal
is It's high time that we, who hold Il
" whp-hand Of all of them, should see tn
- they get it.
~ Also, that It IS really fair TO bo
- sides and all parties. including the Inn
- cent public and not a mere camouhs,
for greed fighting greed.
THE FARMER