Year: 1876




To the Editor u tie woRKINGAANs ADVOCATE


Your article on Arbitration" last
week, touches point Of especial interest
to eve-y class of tradesmen, and more
particularly those enga yed in mines, mills,
factories and places where numbers at one
trade are engaged Arbitration is sub
Ject in which have felt deep interest,
and would like much to see it extensively
employed as an agent in the settlement of
trade disputes To my mind, it seems
such a method would be an important i'm
prOvement over that which at present ex-
lists, namely, strikes" and 'lock-outs.


Many men ia the ranks Of labor, and
more IN proportion among employees, are
opposed to the principle. The causes of
opposition are various. Some Of our trades
are adverse to It on the ground that they
would not get fair, impartial decision
from the parties selected Others, because
IT Is a compromise measure; hence they
do not think 1t Just. The labor buyers
object t. 1t IN some cases because they do
not believe their workmen would live up
{" 1t 1t the decision was against their in
terests, and after the expense and time of
submitting and arguing the 4 Iestiun, they
would have to tight 1t anyway. These and
other objections have been urged in cases
that have come under my observation
These reasons are not sufficient to satisfy
me that the principle cannot be established,
and that 1t will not yet be the rule. Fail
ures have been and will be made before it
becomes general, but the progressive ideas
of the people will force its adoption.


The well-dehned rules Of right and
wrong crystalzed into law, by the de-
mands of the people, comprising our
statutes, make our law courts the arbiters
Of questions coming up between parties,
however important they may be. Is it not
possible to have some general law made
whereby questions Of dispute between
employer and employe can be referred and
decided | do not think it would be pru-
dent or advisable to have officers elected
III the manner our Law officers are now
elected, because this would defeat the OBJ
Ject to be accomplished. But could law
be made to clothe officers VINO would be
chosen by those interested in the question
at the time the dispute arises, empowering
them, to compel the terms of the award,
1t would perhaps cover the ground. Such
law, | am persuaded, can be made; and
if done. even if defective at first, it would
be a step III the direction Of having the
principle established.


There IS 10 doubt a great deal to dis
courage one III the present state Of the
public mind IN the matter of getting men
who could be depended upon in submitting
sucn cases. But | have faith, despite the
present muddled state of affairs, that
there are men III every community who
would be alike creditable to the honor Of
our race and beneficial to the disputants.
Some cases might not, likely would not,
be fairly treated; but they would be the
exception, not the rule. Such men as you
have referred to as having distinguished
themselves in England in this capacity,
have been called out by the operation of
the system there. Their fair. impartial
treatment has done much to have arbitra
tion 50 widely adopted. In this country,
the same determined effort has been put
forth in its behalf We're this done with
the intention of making it the practice as
between man and man, there is no doubt
men qualified in every way would be
brought out to fill the bill We want to
adopt the plan, and its practice will devel-
op men fitted to perform its functions in
way that would be satisfactory to the
people.


The agitation Of this subject cannot fail
to do much good IN having it better IN
derstood, and the existing prejudices
against 1t removed from the minds of
many. You know it is made part Of the
Constitution Of the Miners National AS
sociation, but it is almost imperative be-
OF the frivolous pretexts raised against
it by those who, ! think, do not under
stand its purport, and have no adequate
idea Of the terrible results Of the system
it is designed to supplant.


Trusting the day is not far distant when
we will see arbitration the rule in our trade
by which our disputes are settled, remain
yours, as ever, JOHN JAMES.