Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-12-02

Therefore. it is not well, perhaps, to
insist too strongly upon the letter OF
this parallel. Rut in general, the states.
men who urged arbitration urged 1t not
on the ground that it would prevent all
wars, but on the ground that It would
deter the resort to war. Given GER
tain period in which to think over their
grievances and forced to talk them over
In the open before impartial third par
ties, 1t was felt that there would be few
wars. Arbitration would give time for
cooling of.
And IL is some such arbitration as
this in Industrial disputes that close
advisers of the President have had in
mind. 1t was proposed by some mem
bers of the public group in the unhappy
industrial conference ended recently
that the right to strike should be posi-
lively denied only to certain employees OF
the state. such as policemen, firemen,
soldiers, etc.
1t was proposed also that there should
be n sort of Industrial twilight zone,
where. though the industry was in PR ..
yate hands, the national interest should
he paramount such as the railroads,
coal mines. etc. where the right to
strike should not be denied. but where
it should be made conditional.
In such Industries arbitration should
be compulsory to this extent, that no
strike should be called until a certain
period. say ninety days, had been given
| to investigation of claims by an impair
tial public tribunal which should re,
mort recommendations. Both labor ano
capital. however, 1t was proposed
should be free Mt the end of the period
to reject the recommendation anc re-
sort to strike or lockout. =.
In other industries more local IL
character. it was proposed that there
should be no limitation upon the rlgh'
70 strike. But even with this restriction
il was not suggested that the righ
of collective bargaining through labor
unions should be officially recognized
Wilson Takes Middle Ground
The language which the. Presiden
uses in his message is consistent witi
his plan for regulating industrial dis
putes, which is essentially compro
mise between the extreme labor view
that the right to strike should not b.
limited in any respect, and the op
posite view enunciated by Senator
Cummins, that it should be denied IL
great many important industries.
Some such compromise is likely t.
come out of the present industrial con
ference which is sitting behind close'
doors here in Washington. And som
such compromise may stand chanc
of acceptance by Congress, even in thi
presidential campaign year An indus
trial tribunal is almost sure TO be sc
up. the only question being exactly wha
are to be its powers.
The recent vote in the House of Rep
resentatives indicates that Congress il
in no mood. even in so nearly publi'
an employment as that of the railway
workers, to deny fatty the right tt
strike.
But it is not improbable that Con.
gress would put the railroads. the Goa
mines and one or two other industries
in a twilight zone where the right tt
strike would be conditional upon first
accepting investigation and arbitration
by public tribunal.
The sense that what we have in this
country is the beginning of class wal
is growing stronger. 1t is this which
drove the administration in the Goa
strike to violate pledges made in its
name, when the Lever act was passed