The Dominion. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1912. THE STRIKE SITUATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1355, 5 February 1912, Page 4

The Dominion. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1912. THE STRIKE SITUATION.

Although the public will feel disappointed that the strike is not yet ended, we venture to say that when they read of the proceedings of Saturday and yesterday the bulk of the citizens will divest themselves of any remaining shreds of sympathy for the strikers. The by Mr. W. T., .Young, .which ..was printed in Saturday's papers, giving his version of the negotiations that on Friday led to the very threshold of a settlement, was conclusively shown, at Saturday's meeting of the City Council, to be extremely misleading. It was also conclusively shown that the Council did not spare itself in its desire to go to the extreme of reasonableness and conciliation—in our opinion, to an unwise extreme— and that the prospects of an honourable settlement were deliberately \vrccked by the strikers' representatives. There-was no longer any disagreement of any kind between the Council and the strikers excepting as to the position of Inspector Fuller, and even upon his fate there was complete agreement. The strikers were content to have him transferred to some other, branch of the service, where ho will jiot come into contact with the tramwaymen, ami the Council was quite -illing to order the transfer. What further grounds could the strikers have, this being the case, for continuing their defiance of the law, of the city, and of the rights of the citizens? Obviously they could have none, either in logic or in principle. Their delegates, however, were not content to receive all they required: they wanted a strike, they did not want a settlement, and so* they led their misguided followers to insis; that in granting them their wishes the Council should go upon its knees. ■ The position now is this: that the dispute is no longer as to the material facts of the settlement but as to whether the Council shall make it plain that they were dragooned into surrender. That is the position which the Council has. to face today. If the Council is inclined to think that the question is only a question of formula of the settlement, it-must consider also that it is in the formula that lies the principle which has all along ' been at stake, and that principle is: that the city must defend its right to prevent a section of the city's employees from ruling the citizens' affairs. Should the Council decide to accept_ a settlement in which this right is directly or indirectly questioned, the trams will run, but at what cost ? At the cost, it is surely obvious to everyone, of a permanent subjection to the tramwaymen, and of a future inability on the part of the Council to oppose any proposal or demand that may come from the Union. How can the city authorities hope to govern the city as it should be governed if the strike weapon could be used successfully at any moment 1 The Council' has already gone dangerously far in its concessions: a strong Council would have refused to take any action respecting Inspector Fuller at' all. Having accepted his offer to transfer, however, the Council could, and in our opinion should, at once end all negotiations and leave the strikers to the judgment of the public. The Council should not have met on Saturday; it should not alter to-day. the position in which it left the matter on Friday night. The decision of the Council to remove the Inspector to a new position meets'the original demand of the men, and leaves them without a real grievance. The'"demonstration" of yesterday afternoon should do much to open the eyes of the public as to the true character and methods of the Labour agitators in this country. The language of some of the speakers was too objectionable to bear reprinting, but from the less offensive expressions which we have reported a sufficiently clear idea can be obtained of the conceptions of propriety and justice that arc harboured by some of tbc leaders of organised Labour.

There are very few men in the rank and file of the Unions who would cither think or speak as some of their leaders think and speak, and there must he very many unionists who realise that the cause of Labour cannot really profit in the long run from an advocacy that outrages the private principles of decent workmen. Appeals to class prejudice are had enough, and common enough, hut some of yesterday's speeches were lower things still—mere vulgar and violent framings, justified by no facts and unrelated to any sort of principle at all. The threat issued against Tub Dominion is of interest only as an indication of the respect for free speech in others entertained by these loudvoiced fellows. The threat of a general strike is a serious thing: such a threat always must be, even when not seriously intended. AVe rather doubt, however, whether all the agitators have the stomach for it, even although it does not affect their pockets. Certainly, it is a thing that will benefit only the agitators, and no real friend of the workers would assist in carrying it out.