The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1922-07-10
MONDAY, JULY 10, 1922.

the bargain. practically every time.
The cause of the laboring man is not
advanced thereby. AS an eXpedient,
the strike may occasionally have its
place in the scheme of things. As i
principle to be followed it is very
questionable. In the first place, it is
tyrannical. 1t is the worst sort of
combine The government has out
lawcd the merging of financial enter
prises. 1t should also outlaw the
merging of individual workingmcn
into one great combine. One is as
wrong in principle as is the other.
To give to capital the right to COM
bne, merge and act with one great
central head would be the virtual en-
shaving Of the people. To give to all
the workers in all lines of activity the
right to pave their interests and work
under one master mind is the idcnti-
cal same unsound principle and leads
to slavery for the working man him
self, no less than for the public in
general Besides, it is not wise to-
have any man or set of men debating
to business and government their pol
icy. 1t is bound to be a selfish policy
unreasoning and unreasonable in its
demands. The average member of a
labor union does not act upon his own
knowledge nor in accordance with his
own conviction, often. He blind;yI
follows the man higher up. The man
the organization to further his own
interests. He is serving for the loaves
and fishes. This is not the only evil
feature. The system destroys indi-
vidual choice. 1t seeks to increase tb,
price of labor by lowering production
and shortening hours-both things
arbitrary, not sound in logic. 1t is
ultimately bound to fail behcause it
seeks to put the efficient and inefficient
worker on a parity. 1t is further
bound to fail because it cannot win
in a battle without resort to violence,
coercion and intimidation.
1t now seems that the country is to
experience a nationwide railway
strike. The interlnking Of the vari-
Gus orders of railway workers makes
1t particularly impossible that one de-
partment can strike and not involve
all others. With the shopmen striking,
the engineers and firemcn are already
upon the verge Of being drawn in. It'll
is more than probable that every un-
ION connected with the railways will
be drawn in, whether they will it or
not. IF no interference whatever were
allowed when strikers walk out and
others offer to take their places, there
would be no interruption of the wheels
Of transportation But this is not
in the least likely to be the case. In
fact, already the reports are coming
in that tell Of serious conflicts.
More than all else, the present rail
way strike is found to fail for it is
really strike against the govern
ment. 1t is tn" refusal of the unions
to obey the decision of the agents ofI
the United States Shipping Board.
1t is for this reason, bound to fail. It'll
may lead to very serious complica-
tions, it may reach gigantic proper
tions, but it is already doomed to fail |
1t will probably be of short duration
for its very magnitude will likely
bring about that result. But it can
not be possible to maintain for rail
way workers scale of wages far
above the wages Of people in other
lines Of activity without working addi- |
tional hardships upon those who have
already felt the result Of the decline
in wages. Farmers and practically all
other workers have felt the heavy
hand Of reduction. They will feel still
further the pinch Of reduction if one
great army of working men are to
continue to receive high wages. The
fact is, the country may just as well
realize now, and once for all, that the
inflated, deceptive, economically un-
sound situation that came about with
the war and just after, is fast passing
away Everything must get back to
within hailing distance Of prewar
conditions. We may not like this, but