The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1920-04-22
RAILWAY STRIKE
A HARM To LABOR
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
SEES GRAVE DANGER IN LOSS
OF PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
SAYS LIBERTY BONDS SELL BELOW $50
Explained by Natural Readjust-
ment to Mounting Interest
Rates Noted Everywhere.
BY j. T.. Jones

When the railroad law was enacted
by which the roads were returned 10
private ownership, definite feature
of the law provided for arbitration of
wage disputes. There was created
under the law wage tribunal to be
appointed by the president. In this
manner an entirey orderly procedure
was evolved for the readjustment of
wages of railroad workmen.
Since the railroad brotherhoods, who
have been in charge of the interests
of their 100000 members, We're
parties to the legislation provided III
the Esch-Cummins bill, and since the
leaders of these great brotherhoods
have in no way approved of a strike
OF railroad employees, and since they
are agreed to abide by the decrees of
the arbitration board, the origin Of
the outlaw" strike is difficult to trace.
The president, the director general
of the railroads and congress used
every precaution to prevent any dis
turbance among railroad employees
during the processes of reconstruc-
ton of the railroads themselves
Therefore a strike of wide proportions
among railroad employees seems to
be ineXplainable particularly in view
of the fact that the brotherhood lead
ers, and Mr.. Gompers and the Ameri-
can Federation Of Labor are found to
be protesting vigorously against the
disobedience Of their own members.
Organized labor has prided itself
upon its ability to live up to its agree
ments. The leaders of the brother-
hoods have doubtless been entirely
conscientious in their attempts to play
fair with the railroads and to justify
the confidence of the American people
in their belief that the railroad men
would abide by their agreement and
permit the settlement of the wage
controversy by the machinery devised
for its settlement. But now the Ameri-
can people find that the promise made
by the railroad leaders is not in
reality an agreement, since there is
a strike among railroad men that is
not only strike against the railroads,
but strike as well against the duly
constituted leaders of railroad unions.
The chiefs of the Big Four" brother
hoods are among the most vigorous
of all parties concerned in denouncing
the outlaw" railroad strike. They
feel, and they have made their posi-
tion clear, that organized labor is in
great danger of losing the confidence
of the American people, and they
properly fear that railroad employees
organizations will lose their tremen-
dous power as a result Of such per-
formances among strikers. Mrs. Com
pers has pointed out that the Ameri-
can working man has gathered the
big profits out of the structure If
organized labor. This is undoubtedly
a fact, and the selfish interests, as
well as the ideals of American labor
are more at stake in strike of this
kind than are the interests of the rail-
roads or the interests of the public
since strike of this kind is essen
TALLY an outlaw affair having behind
it the sinister shadow of social polit
ical and industrial disorder. In such
a crisis in their affairs the American
workingman who had builded to bet
ter conditions through the powerful
force of organized labor can hardly
fail to turn against the strikers in MIS-
own ranks who are carrying on an
almost meaningless but thoroughly
destructive contest against the rail
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