The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-08-28

newspaper and also the local news o.
spontaneous origin published herein
All rights OF republication Of all othel
matter herein are also reserved.
The Public Comes First
Not the least OF the principle.
which seem to be outmoded unde,
present conditions is that which
holds inalienable the right Of ar
American workman to strike and the
right Of an American employer te
lock out his employees II he chooses.
It may be that each principle is
wholly justified and that America
should return to an espousal of them
but If so we should abandon some OF
the things we now are doing and
II we are to let natural forces have
full play, quit interfering with them
altogether.
In the textile strike which now
threatens to disrupt the recovery
movement, for example, union leaders
expect the national government to f.
nance their activities. Because Of the
governments pledge that no one shall
60 hungry, they expect to put strik-
ing workmen on the relief rolls. The
effect, Of course, is to put the gov
eminent behind the strikers, even
though the strikers actions may be
unjustified and may interfere with the
aims Of the government.
This is obviously unfair to both
employees and employers.
It Is unfair to the employers be-
cause it may result In forcing upon
them conditions which they cannot
meet. If the powers Of govern
ment are arrayed behind strike that
strike will succeed.
It Is unfair to the employees because
1t may encourage them to excuses
which cannot be justified and which.
when put on trial in the court Of
public opinion, may bring wholesale
condemnation and q return to worse
conditions than those which might
otherwise have been obtained.
The situation, however, is not new.
We need not look with horror upon
the ideas Of these textile labor lead
ers. The same racket was worked
recently right here In Bismarck and
against the government itself.
When . number Of men on the
government relief list struck" few
weeks ago, for example, it was a
strike only in the sense that the men
quit work. The government, against
which they were striking, continued
to feed them, indicated that 1t would
continue to do so indefinitely. The
result was to make striking" easy.
It is true that the manner in which
help was extended was changed by
the strike. Men who had been get
ting cash relief were put on the sub
sistence relief list. Instead Of let
ting them pay for their meat and
bread themselves, the government
bought food and gave it to them
through purchase orders issued on
grocers. But the effect was the same.
Under such . situation the strike"
Just couldn't lose.
The question Of principle, here
presented, is whether rugged indivi-
dualism" as it usually Is interpreted
in labor disputes, can possibly exist
under such circumstances; if the
public, which eventually will foot
the relief bin and which foots all
other bills, hasn't an interest superior
to that Of either labor or the en-
ployer.
AL labor disputes should be set.
tied on the basis Of what is right and
what Is wrong. II wages are too low
and conditions are bad. employers
should be forced to improve them. Il.
under the urging Of self-willed lead
ers, labor makes unreasonable de-
mands. they should be rejected.
The textile dispute should be set
tied on that basis and without en-
during another strike, which clearly
Is not In the public interest. An ef-
fort should be made. through I'M
partial investigation, to determine
what Is just in this case. The gov
eminent already Is implicated and 1t
should not shirk this responsibility.
It's actions should be predicated upon
the facts revealed by such an exam
nation. II labor Is right, let those
without Jobs have relief help. II
labor is wrong, tell strikers to 60 back
to work. not expect the public to feed
them when they are acting contrary
to the publics interest.
There has been entirely too much
seating ebcvt the bush IN III these
labor disputes. In each case the pub
lie has held the short end Of the stick
while employers and employees alike
demonstrated their inability to mus
ter enough common sense and dec.
ency 70 effect . rational settlement
r + time that the public WAS giver
first consideration and that polite.
tans quit making Of strikes toys Will
whteh TO auause themselves.
= = tne that AnaEins had {