The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1921-10-19
THE IMPENDING RAIL STRIKE.

IhSll JODS anu ~ 10 1OdlluS III mex
Sunday week!
We say it seems so remote from
reason and common sense that it az
pears like some sort of horribi
nightmore. The idea Of this tremen
dous large number of men, in the face
Of abnormally bad conditions ant
with approaching severe wintel
ahead, leaving their posts, with all o
the hardships that it will bring, no
only on themselves, but on hundreds
of thousands of others.
It's inconceivable.
And yet, the Idle is cast" the unior
heads have said so and their action
says more. 1t says we will set al
naught the laws of this country and
we will violate the acts of congress
creating the United States Railordd
Labor Board.
Where is the remedy?
1t is in the President of the United
States and we cannot better answer
that self propounded question, thar
to reproduce the following fror9 tne
pen of David Lawrence, well known
newspaper correspondent, who sees
this situation with a very clear eye
He says the only hope is in the Pres
ident and then proceeds as follows
Executive influence alone can
save the nation from railroad
strike.
Both the railroads and the en-
ployees have defed the United
States Railroad Labor Board, Gre :
ated by Congress for the very
purpose of avoiding strikes.
Where the fault lies is hard for
officials not in daily touch with
the situation to decide.
The fact is both sides have con-
Quoted propaganda designed to
show that the initiation in ignor-
ing the Railroad Labor Board lies
with the other
And while the quarrels have
grown more intense. while some
of the railroads on the one hand
have goaded the employees to
strike by declaring they were
ready to deal a body blow to
unionism, the employees on the
other hand have insisted that II
they take cut in wages the rates
must come down for freight and
/ passenger service.
Between the two stanes the
public represented by more or
less helpless group in the United
States Railroad Board, but now
represented by the larger infu-
ence and power of the chief exec
stive-upon whose door step the
problem has been deposited-the
railroads confident that Mr., Hard
ing will force a wage cut and the
employees sure that the Pr3si-
dent will not dare to use his exec
utive power to interfere in a la
Dor controversy to their disad-
vantage.
The employees know moreover,
that IN Congress the powerful as.
ricultural bloc has been trying for.
months to force reduction in
freight rates and that the rail-
roads will not escape this time
with simply victory over their
employees If Congress takes a
hand.
President Harding has reduced
the matter TO simple formula In
that he recognizes that the Inter
state Commerce Commission, on
the one hand. which controls the
income of railroads. and United
States Railroad Board, which
handles large item in railroad
expenditures namely wages
have much In common and that a
combiRed report from both agen-
cies will assist In an intelligent
settlement OF the problem.
For months the railroads have
been insisting that they could not
reduce freight rates. They con-
vinced most everybody in the gov.
eminent that they would be bank
rupt by July 1, unless aid was
forthcoming from Congress. but
that aid has not been given and
now October is here with railroad
earnings picking up. The rail-
roads have been making volun-
tary reduction in freight rates,
but Mr.. Harding, who has from
the first insisted that rates must
come down, probably viii not be
satisfied this time with promises
OF reductions. but will find way
to make these reductions eftec-
tive.
The fact that nearly two weeks
must elapse before the strikes or.
der takes effect Is looked upon
a. giving emple opportunity for
4fatN