The Washington times., 1916-08-30
THE COUNTRY NEARING A
SUPREME DISASTER

It Is now but q matter Of hours
before the greatest industrial strike
in history shall be inaugurated, un-
less settlement can Meanwhile be
effected. The prospect for that con-
clusion grows less hopeful with
every passing hour.
Already the disaster is in its first
stages. The railroads are issuing
notices, warning shippers not to
send, and their agents not to accept,
perishable goods for delivery later
than Monday next. Travellers are
being warned against undertaking
journeys which might leave them
short Of their destinations at the
hour for the tie-up to become effec-
tive.
Cities are taking account Of their
supplies Of food, fuel, and other
.necessaries. Municipal authorities
are giving thought to measures for
the conservation of foodstuffs, not
altogether unlike those that have
been adopted in countries at war and
blockaded. The substance of the
matter is that the country faces the
most desperate industrial war it has
ever known.
1t is a strange commentary on
the futile efforts of modern society
to protect itself against the dangers
that are involved in its very struc-
ture. All the modern world has
vaguely realized that the complexi-
ties of the social and economic struc-
ture carried with them menaces to
the very life Of the community. The
possibility Of a frightful disaster be-
ing precipitated in the very fashion
in which. this strike now threatens,
has been recognized, if net appreci-
ated. But the community has. gone
airily along, imagining that suf-
ficient to each day was its own
troubles; hoping the great crisis
would not come, or that somebody
else would be responsible for deal
ing with it when it should come. It
has come, and the country is not
ready for it.
For decades men have contem-
plated the possibility of this thing.
They have whimsied about the dan
ger Of such crisis, but have done
nothing. Compulsory arbitration.
with power back Of It sufficient to
enforce it's DEGREES, has been a
mildly interesting theme of aca-
demic debate; that is all. Men have
discussed the question of whether
such a vital service, so public in its
essential character as the nations
transportation, ought to be controlled
by interests whose first concerns
were personal and selfish; but moth
ing effective has been accomplished
to insure the social control Of that
service. Now. with a nationwide
strike five days ahead, actually Or
dered by the men who have the in
dubitable power to issue the decree.
there is a hurly-burly of excited ef-
fort to devise means that may stave
off the calamity.
There is nothing in the present
conditions Of the railroad business,
the circumstances Of the trainmen,
or the attitude of the public toward
either the corporations or their en-
ployes, to justify strike. The pub
lie, though it has for months been
hearing of the danger, has not be-
lieved it possible that such a crash
could come in time like this. Seem
ingly, neither side to the controversy
believed the other would carry it's
demands to the extreme limit. Prob
ably neither side realized that as
matters developed it would be pushed
inevitably farther toward che preci-
pice, until to raw back might be-
come impossible. That is just what
is now facing both sides and the
nation.
The desperate need Of the moment
is leadership that can take charge
and save this situation. It is use
less to debate whether President
Wilson has done the best that might
have been done. He has done the best
that he could do, and has Jailed; !;
though there is still hope that the
situation is not a complete loss. The
President has turned TO Congress,
and in the next few days the un-
wieldy machinery Of legislation will
have to provide measures that will
save the day, if it shall be saved.
1t will not be saved unless some
body with grasp and an authority
big enough to compel q hearing,