The Washington herald., 1921-10-17
MAILS MUST GO,
TRAINS0R NONE,
HAYS RESOLVES
Postmaster General viii
Use Armed Guards
If Needed. .

While President Harding was Civ
ing further consideration yesterday
to the steps he will take to endeavor
to avert a national railroad .tie-up
Postmaster General Hays and Attor-
ney General Daugherty began shap-
ing a program of action which will
materialize II the strike called by
the unions goes into effect.
That the mails will be transported
despite strike interference IL 1t
takes every ounce of government
resources to accomplish the purpose
is the determination of the POST
master General
Mr.. Hays was in conference for
several hours with Attorney Gen
eral Daugherty and the legal ad-
visers and other officials of the Post
Office Department When he
emerged, he declined to discuss the
situation, saying that as soon as his
plans are matured he will make
them public. One of the partici-
pants in the conference was Edward
H. Shaughnessy, the former railroad
official, who is Second Assistant
Postmaster General in charge of the
railway mail service.
May Provide Guards.
The Postmaster General is report
ed to have asserted in the confer-
ence that the mails would be trans
ported even If it should be necessary
to provide armed guards for. every
mail train or other conveyance. He
inferred from the text of the strike
interference with the transit of the
mails, but IL such violence should
materialize 1t would be necessary to
furnish protection to the men who
enabled the postal system to func-
ton.
Il was the general opinion in the
conference that the railroads would
be able to man enough trains to
carry the mails on all the major
through routes and on more than
half the others. 1t was suggested
that volunteer engineers, firemen
and trainmen be called for, IL
necessary, to KEEP the mail routes
in operation.
Wherever It proves impossible to
move the mails by train, airplanes
and government and private trucks
and automobiles will be requisition-
ed. Mr.. Hays telephoned Secretary
of War weeks a request for infor-
nation as to the number Of army
cars and airplanes that could be
placed at the disposal of the POST
office Department for this purpose.
May Call Volunteer Airmen.
A call for volunteer aviators may
be issued, for the Postmaster Gen.
eral considers employing every
available plane for mail carrying in
the event Of emergency. The, only
airplane mail service still in opera
ton is that on the transcontinental
route between New York and San
Francisco. Additional planes will
be assigned. to this route The Post
Office Department has a large num-
ber Of reserve planes which depart
ment officials say can be speedily
conditioned for service on such
other routes as may be established.
The Postmaster General sought
the opinion Of the Attorney General
on that portion .of the strike order
which reads;
so far as your legal right to
strike is /, concerned, there is nc
difference between q mail train and
a freight train. You have iden-
tically the same right to refuse te
perform service on q mail train a
you. have to refuse to perfora serv.
ice on a freight uain."
Daugherty Is understood 70 have
informed Hays he was not pre.
pared to give q definite opinion
until his assistants had completed
CoNftmaed on PAGE Two.