Evening star., 1919-12-28

motivated by two major considera tions. aside
from the basic determination that expediency
and equity require that temporary government
ownership be relinquished. The first was that
his decision return the roads upon January
/, announced in Paris during May. could
not be put into effect without precipitating
chaos in the operation OF the roads. in the inan-
cial markets of the nation and among the pub
lie in general The second was that some def
mite date must be fixed lest Congress. lacking
the spur of definition. relapse upon reconven-
ton to further dawdline.
There at present before a conference
committee. composed of members from both the
Senate and the House, two bills purportipg to
furnish the legislation necessary for protecting
all the interests involved These measures are
known the Cummins and Esch bills. Each
hastily rushed through the chamber in
which it originated. Each approaches a solu-
tion of the problem from opposite extremity
the other Neither. it may be safely stated.
has progressed any considerable distance to the
common meeting point which must be attained
before March l.
The conference committee, recipient of the
buck from both houses, has something less than
two months in which to travel the road to that
point. This is none too little time. nor is it any
too great Widely diverging methods of ap-
preaching such vital puzzles as to how railroad
labor disputes are to be handled in the future.
how strict government regulation is to be in the
future, how the roads to be tided over the
crisis of their first years of return to private
ownership. must be compromised and made sat
isfactory to the north and the south wings of
the Capitol
With the necessity for having the needed
legislation the statute books at the time the
transfer of the roads takes place clearly before
them, it may be safely assumed that that COM
promise will be reached.
There seems to be fairly good reason to
pect that the President, who assumes the role
of Santa in announcing his Christmas gift to
the private of the roads. and by whom
the finished bill-whereby his gift alone be
made gracious one-must be approved will
express to Congress his ideas the problem
shortly after the holiday recess. The necessity
for the donkey and the elephant to get together
the joint task which is theirs cannot be
emphasized too often repeated.
The coal crisis has not yet been definite
ly passed. Just the leaf upon which
written the story of strike which threatened
the nation with industrial chaos about to
be turned the operators or what may transpre
to have been but mschievous and reactionary
group of the operators committed the gaucherie
popularity known 'spilling the beans" A
gentleman by the name of Alfred M. Ogle, in
his official capacity chairman of the executive
committee of the Bituminous Coal Operators
Association, announced that the operators deny
that they bound by the agreement upon
which the strike was settled and production
resumed.
Followed Mr.. Palmers assertion that the
operators had bound themselves. Followed
CONSERVATION and doubt in the public mind.
Fpllewed anss announcement by one Phil H.
Penna, spoksSnan az the bituminous operators
of the central competitive fields, to the effect
that the operators will abide by the decisions
OF the commission ofTthree as appointed by the
President. waving "details about which we
should have been consulted in advance" Fol-
lowed announcement that the operators would
convene shortly after Christmas to reach a final
decision as to the matter in controversy. }.
Z 1t seems patent that no one vino has far
spoken has authority to speak for the opera
tors of the industry as whole. The nation
waits for some authoritative word from the
post-Christmas convention. :,
That word only be thing unless the
operators wish permanently to lose the already
rudely shaken confidence Of the public Much
has been sacrificed already by what is the
surface at least inexplicable clufnsiness on the
operators had gained in the public's estimation
placing the workers in the position of obstruc-
tionists. will pass from them unless they def
nitely accept the agreement under which the
miners returned to work satisfactory That
they will fail to do so is not to be credited.
1t may very we'll be that, having received
general assurances that the governments ef-
forts toward formulating working agreement
with the miners were satisfactory to the opera
tors Mr.. Palmer and the President neglected to
obtain formal appreciation to their final and
specific solution from the employers in ques-
tion. But conceding such fact to be