Show THE LOCAL LABOR DISPUTE THE strike of carpenters in this city is unfortunate it needs no reasoning to establish that point every condition that produces enforced stagnation in place of encouraging cou raging development is unprofitable a ble aside from the merits of any disagreement that may lead to it reason beason and justice would soon if applied settle the dispute between employers and workmen why not have recourse to those elevating agen agencies cleis tile the first labor to be doue in reaching a solution of the the difficulty is to strictly and impartially investigate all the elements of the controversy and add then apply a remedy by making whatever concessions ces are manifestly proper we hold it to be a self evident right of a workman to dispose of his labor to the best beat advantage to himself any number of workmen combined may also rightfully leave the service of any employer providing no cont contract contat mt between the par tive aks is impaired by the action on the other band there 0 uld be no balance to the situation unless the employer hal baj the right to hire bi bis wora worb done on a similar basis being I 1 ng the judge also as to whom he be shall engage to labor for him it to is difficult to see how such a proposition can be reasonably disputed there to is a third cleme element u t in a controversy tro versy of the kind now in a progress those workmen who do not choose to rao belong to a trades union that they have the right to take that at ought to be conceded as any other position would be equal to a denial of the right of individual freedom freed Dul which is the inalienable prerogative of the citizen when his bis own acts do not place it in jeopardy this being an indisputable truth any conduct or process brought to bear upon him to coerce him into relinquishment of his per personal personae sonai right is tyranny these standard propositions should be considered in an investigation of the merits of the present strike and that which crosses them should be discarded it this were done there would be an end of the dispute within a few hours there appears appears to be no great reluctance luc tance on the part of the employers to grant the basic demand of the men nine idne hours to constitute the time ot ol a days work to be paid at tiie the rate of As a rule this thin la Is readily conceded consequently settlement lement of the difficulty is obstructed ted by other conditions another demand is that none other than union men beall be employed this is an infringement upon two of the three propositions stated at the beginning of this article it interferes with the right of the employer to engage the services ot of workmen of his bis own choice it also impinges by a coercive method the prerogative of thom workmen who do not wish to belong to a union there ib 18 still another element of wrong connected with this controversy tro versy providing a common W aa bertion ser tion thit is probably nt not strongly disputed be true the claim referred to is that many of the chief agitators in this labor difficulty are transients belonging to the claw class which floats from one boom town to another As a rule they have so it is alleged two conspicuous defects meagre ability as workmen and a disposition to do the smallest possible amount of labor for the largest attah attainable amount of pay asa As a coo sequence consequence if the employers were to exclude nonunion non union men from their employment a settle ment made thus would simply place them in in a predicament causing them to leap from froin the frying pan into che atie fire PP in this thia way it to is held that there are not enough efficient workmen who be long to the union to kneet the deman i without the aid of those who do not belong to the organization the result of this situation is inevitable employers would have to w still continue to go shorthanded or of employ incompetent floaters who are said to be not worth more than from one half to three fourths of the wages demanded prom this it will be seen that the course of the union is of a nature to put a premium on poor workmanship by placing it so far as remuneration is concerned on a level with that which to is efficient it looks like a very incongruous state of affairs some employers object also to tak ing any hand band in coercing nonunion non union men into joining it by thrusting them at the d dictum of the organization out of employment the general effect of the strike is detrimental on general principles and on all sides the concession of the employers in being willing to concede conrede the demand in chief a nine dine hour day at ought to form a solid basis for a settlement especially as there is plenty of work for flor every competent compe teat workman whether he belongs belongis to the union or not bot we greatly regret the difficulty not only because of the obstruction of material development of this city on account of the solid workmen men whose interests are not sub served but impaired by jt it |