Arizona republican., 1921-10-20
The Clearing Sky

There is a ray of light in the impending strike 3tuation; rift in the lowering cloud which we may ow with reason hope, will be dissipated before ] breaks. Evidently the government has determined hat there shall be no strike 1t evidently intends to nforce the plan proposed by the public labor group
 The railroad owners have generally denounced he plan as impossible But the government is in position to disregard the railroad owners and to nforce the plan upon them. All it needs to do Is b let the railroads know in advance that their ap- lication for ten per cent wage reduction at this me will not be allowed, and through the interstate ommerce commission translate the wage reduction last July into freight reductions All this is within the power of the government and can ave little doubt that the government will exercise hat power, if necessary to forestall the strike.
 The railway workers leaders have not accepted he labor boards plan but they have appeared less bdurate as to it. Moreover, the days have gone y they seem to view it with less disfavor than they Inhibited at first. They must also have perceived hat they cannot count upon the cooperation in trike of those railway workers organizations out ide the Brotherhoods. They may be doubtful foo the solidarity of the Brothrehood men in case of strike whether half million of them would actu- lly go out; and if so how long they would stay out they certainly must despair of the two million yorkers who they proclaimed in the beginning would se involved in the strike.
 Then there is the. hold that has been given the overnment on railway strike situations by egisla- ion and an unbroken line of federal court decisions While the government could not prevent the indi- Iidual workers from leaving their employment, it as power to prohibit employment of strike funds movement to interfere with interstate com nerce. It has power to prevent any concert of ction toward such interference. And 1t cannot be oubted that the government would use this power.
 But we hope and we have to believe, that will not be necessary to use it; that soon, follow ng the conference of the Brotherhood heads with he labor board today the strike order will be re- alled. In that event the workers will have sac 2ificed nothing of prestige. They will have gained practically all that the widest of them could have oped to gain from strike and. certainly than hey would have gained, for such a strike, from the beginning must have been doomed to failure, though t tremendous cost to the workers, the railroads md the public
 The strike was nomnally called against pro- posed application of the roads for another tucton. Under such a settlement believe will be reached there will be no applications; certainly here will be no wage reduction. One of the griev
 nces of the strikers was that the public was not iven the benefit of the last wage reduction. Under he terms of the settlement that saving would be transferred to the public.
 There may have been wild hope in the breast f of the workers that the strike would result In the restoration to them of part, at least of the vage increase of June. 1920 But we do not think hat leaders the clearer visioned of the rank
 md file could have entertained lively hope such
 n outcome.