Evening star., 1921-04-26
Editorial Digest
Home Rule" for Railroads.

Home Rule" for Railroads.
Industrially the most encouraging
domestic news of the year" to the
Richmond News Leader (democratic)
is the decision of the Railroad Labor
Board abrogating national agree
| ments and laying down certain prin-
ciples as the basis of negotiations for
new working contracts between the
| individual roads and their employees.
| Practically the entire press takes the
same view, and agrees with the New
| ork Herald independently that "a
! American history" has been safely
| passed. There is some difference of
OPINION as to where the victory lies.
put agreement is general that the
paSic principles adopted are sound
and eminently fair" Evansville Jour-
nal. republican,. and while much de-
pends on the spirit in which both
sides enter the coming conferences
me press feels. with the Charleston
News and Courier (democratic), that
an honest effort to formulate work
ing rules under these principles can
nardly fail of success" At any rate
the Baltimore News GndependenD
thinks we may now hope to see some
thlng accomplished toward a solution
OF the railroad problem.
ohlclal sanction of the principle that
each road should make its own work
ing agreements constitutes "a sub
stantial victory for the executives" in
the opinion of the Baltimore Evening
sun Gndependen democratic). In this
IT is supported by a considerable num-
per or PAPERS. among them the Pitts
burgh Chronicle Telegraph republi-
cam the New Orleans Times Picayune
tlndtpendent democratic) and the
winston Salem (N. O. Journal tdemo-
cratic). which calls it a triumph for
home rule in industry"
The national agreements made during
1he war receive no support from the
press, and their termination is euthusj-
asticalN indorscd. Under them. the
Wilmington IN. O. Star (d.mocratic)
hoids. the railroads have undoubte edly
been subjected to numerous unneces-
sarE and unjust burdens.' and since
signing a set of rules that would be uni
Iormly workable and fair throughout the
United States" abrogation of the prn-
ciple is "unquestionably sound
tional agreements the New York Trib-
une trepubiican) credits the Labor
Board with dispelling IAN economic
vagary The Pittsburgh Gazette Times
rcpubllcan) considers agreements a
misnomer: they were not agreements
but labor code forced upon the trans
portation companies on the pretext of
wartime necessity" and in writing
them off the Labor Board is acting in
the interests not only of railroad work.
ers and managers. but of the country
as whole" But one voice is raised
against this point in the new program
That is the New York Call tsocialist),
winch sees individual conferences as a
means to split the workers into as
many negotiating groups as there are
railroads. and destroy at one stroke the
solidarity that is promised by one ma
tional conference
However. the Lynchburg News (dem-
ccratlcD expresses the majority opinion
when it declares that the scope of the
Victory OF the operators "is perceptibly
narrowed by some of the sixteen princi-
EIhs laId down as basis for the agree
ments hereafter to be arrived at"
Ihesc principles. according to the Phil
:deiphla Public Ledger Gndependent),
are the old basic labor contentions'
they uphold the eight-hour day. the
principle of collective bargaining the
representatives" and promulgated by a
governmental body they will make in
dustrjal history The Minneapolis
.,ournai independent republican, ha lis
'hem as "a Magma Charta for determine
ing future relations between manage
ment and men, which. ''if honestly OBJ
served, would result in mo more rail
road troubles and no serious injustice
on either side At least they constitute
notice. says the Richmond Times-Dis-
ttntions have passed beyond the realm
of agifation.''
On the other hand the San Fran
cisco Chronicle Independently holds
that the sixteen points do very lit
tie toward assuring peace in trans
portation. They do not get us any
where" since "some are mere state
ments of moral axioms'' and others
open the way to more controversy"
The Seattle Union Record Nabor)
hopes that the optimistic statement
of Mr.. Jewell' that the RAILWAY
workers of the country have won
great victory" may be borne out by
results. but it is far from convinced.
and the Grand Rapids Press finde-
pendenD finds it hard to see how
such restating of platitudes can be
hailed as a victory of any kind"
Nevertheless. the Railroad Labor
Board "Sas acted in a manner calcu-
lated to bring contending forces to-
gether. and has protected the public
interest" the New York Globe (inde-
prndenD declares And as 'it is the
first permanent high court which has
been established by law for any in
dustry in this country" it has. "by
this one act. done much TO justify
itself