January 8, 1904.] 



SCIENCE. 



] 



57 



duction must soon occur, the demands are 

 refused. The strike which, if the workmen 

 are ill-advised, follows, marks the turning 

 point from prosperity to depression. 



The other typical strike is a protest 

 against a reduction in wages when the de- 

 cline in commercial activity is in progress, 

 or before the change to perceptibly better 

 conditions has arrived. Such strikes are 

 less frequent but much more likely to be 

 creditable to the judgment of the strikers. 

 Employers rarely refuse reasonable de- 

 mands while industry is prosperous and 

 the labor market empty or nearly so ; some 

 of them do attempt oppressive reductions 

 in wages or unjust modifications in condi- 

 tions when the times are dull and the labor 

 market glutted with the unemployed. This 

 is not to say that radical reductions in 

 wages may not be necessary ; they are very 

 apt to be after such a period of unprece- 

 dented activity in every line of industry 

 as that which is but just closed or closing, 

 but it should be recognized that when due 

 allowance for the changed conditions has 

 been made everywhere there may be some 

 employers who will endeavor to take ad- 

 vantage of the situation and to deal un- 

 justly with their workmen. May the num- 

 ber of such employers be few and the 

 resistance of their employees wise, fearless 

 and effective. 



OTHER TESTS. 



The character of any labor organization 

 is further to be tested by its principles and 

 practices in reference to labor-saving ma- 

 chinery, profit sharing, pensions, insurance 

 funds, home ownership by its members, 

 admission of applicants for membership, 

 apprentices, the boycott, the manner in 

 which it conducts itself toward other 

 unions, and its rules and general policy. 

 The verdict of intelligence concerning most 

 of these matters is so clear that discussion 

 would hardly be warranted. A wise policy 

 will prevent any labor union from discoui'- 



aging the introduction of improved ma- 

 chinery, from refusing to accept or opposing 

 fairly formulated efforts of employers to ob- 

 tain greater loyalty from employees, from 

 counseling against the ownership of homes, 

 from upholding the boycott, from prevent- 

 ing the industrial education of intelligent 

 youth, and from permitting controversies 

 with other unions to interrupt work or oc- 

 casion inconvenience to blameless employ- 

 ers. That particular organizations have 

 grievously erred in these matters is, per- 

 haps, much better known than that some 

 have stood steadfastly for sound prin- 

 ciples. 



These defects in the current beliefs and 

 practices of some prominent labor organi- 

 zations have been pointed out in no spirit 

 of intolerance. The evils are widespread 

 and serious; they must be plainly pointed 

 out and bravely overcome; but they are 

 not necessary accompaniments of such or- 

 ganizations. In fact, as to most of them 

 the history of several highly successful 

 unions can be cited to show that among 

 organizations composed- of the most intelli- 

 gent workmen they are likely to be elimi- 

 nated. It is even more true that the much 

 less pardonable practices which involve 

 blackmailing employers and combinations 

 with unscrupulous representatives of cap- 

 ital to rob consumers and destroy compet- 

 itors are merely temporary consequences 

 of an early recognition of strength which 

 is not restrained by a sobering conscious- 

 ness of responsibility or by ability to per- 

 ceive the consequences of such injustice. 



VALUE IN ORGANIZATION. 



The conclusion is that while the labor 

 problem miist always persist, the organiza- 

 tion of labor will continue and will in- 

 crease its power to be of service, not only 

 to workmen but also to society. The prin- 

 ciple of organization will not only survive 

 the defeat and destruction of those organi- 



