Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1922-08-24
BABSON VS.
Strikes Are Decreasing

Wellesley Hills, Mass. Aug. 21.-In
view of newspaper space recently talk
en- by the coal strike, railroad strike,
and certain textile strikes, we are
prone to think strikes are very general
at the present time. Roger w. Bah
son, however, refutes this opinion in
statement as follows:
GAS matter of fact we have very
few strikes at the present time. Ever
since the war the strike curve mas been
below the point which was then called
normal. The fact that we have had
three strikes of large Dimensions blinds
us to this basic truth. Two of these
strikes, the coal strike and the rail
shopmen s strike are in industries that
have not been Debated so far as war
time wages go. The other, the cotton
textile strike, has been partially de-
flated and the trouble is about going
the rest of tho distance. The diff
culties in these three industries are
then cases of belated hostilities.
WAGE REDUCTIONS
"For the most part, labor is not
striking; wages are being gradually
let down to 'ower levels and the dis
position of men is to keep at work.
There is always a rise in the strike
curve during the summer. We are
having that rise now. Nevertheless,
we are not having the number or the
wide distribution of strikes which we
had last year, or at any time since
1915. We will not have a repetition
of those conditions this year. The
strike curve is nearer normal than al
most anything else in industry.
Gas to the future, the answer is to
be looked for in conditions. What
made the tremendous wave of strikes
which marked the years 1915 to 1920?
The simple fact that there were more
jobs than men; that the cost of living
was going up; that labor was in a po-
sition to force the issue. No such
is in view for the years right
ahead. Therefore, we need not look
for a repetition of the strike cOnditi-
ons of the war days. Those days are
passed Nevertheless, we are going TO
have strikes. There are going to be
a good many of them. They are going
to be called for reasons other than
the ones that backed the strikes of
war time. Then men went on strike
for more pay. They were courageous.
confident, buoyant. They were sure
Of succesn They were seldom disap-
pointed In the future just ahead,
they are going to strike against wage
cuts, against attempts to rule out the
unions. They are not going to be as
successful as they were in the war
time strikes.
sULLEN AND REvENGEFUL
"In consequence of this, the real
question of the next few years is as
to the frame of mind which labor is
going to have. In contrast with the
buoyant confidence of the war years,
abor is now going to be sullen, reese
ltful and revengeful. What they do
not gain in open victories, they are GO
ng to be disposed to accomplish by in
lirect means. A man who cannot get
lis pay raised can stall on the job.
lie can get the best OF his boss by all
finds of nasty tricks in the factory.
These are short-sighted policies. In
he long run they work to the disad-
yantage of labor. Still they are the
Usual recourse of labor when it is met
" obstacles that do not yield.
'Right here is the problem of the
Employer of the next few years. How
i1all he meet the new temper of la
,org In my opinion that ugly temper
must be met by open dealing, by set
ing before labor the facts under
Which business is done and by admit
ing labor progressively to a greater
hare in the management of the ele
nents of the industrial relation which
most directly concerns labor. That is
o say; The time to develop personnel
set up profit-sharing, or
,anize shop committees and all the
est of the things that belong to this
lass, is, not when labor is in the sad
lie and holds the gun at the employ
IT s head, but when the employer, him
elf is in the saddle and is in the po-
itinn to dictate terms y