The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-10-29

Further wage cuts are up in the air, so
are further freight reductions The
statu quo viii be maintained for at. least
nine months more,
Meanwhile, certain points have been
which viii have the effect in the future of
diminishing the area of dispute. Presi-
dent Harding has, so 20 speak put the
United States railroad board on the map
Its authority was challenged, its powers
as asmediating body were questioned
But with the full support of the chief
executive. the United States railroad
board approaches its pending cases know
ing now that it is responsible morally to
the President for a thorough examination
Of all the issues and for Just verdict.
Both the railroads and the labor unions
now see the United States railroad board
as a tribunal with real power. In an
emergency. the President showed that he
was ready to back up the board in it's
decisions 1t was, moreover. to be used as
an Important lever in swinging public
opinion. The labor leaders themselves
now have admitted that with public opin-
ion against them they could not ,hope to
win the strike. They confessed the value
Of public opinion. This is source of
qualification here for it means that tire
missing teeth in the transportation act
have been found.
The way the United States railroad
board. assisted by President Harding,
unctioned in the present crisis convinces
officials that If in all labor disputes an
effort We're made to go Mt once TO the
root of the trouble without trying to settle
imaginary issues that merely irritate and
get nowhere, more progress would be
made in solving labor quarrels
CurIOuSly enough, the manner in which
the railroad strike has been settled is
Exactly the formula that President Hard
ne would ike to see applied in prevent
ng war. He believes that if public
opinion can be marShalled against an
offending nation, the people of the Offend
ing country viii cause their government
70 recede from an aggressive stand
Woodrow Wilson believed the league of
nations would always furnish such an
intermediary. Mr. Harding thinks the
group known as the supreme council can
do the same thing.
The theory back in 3Ir. Harding's mind
IN the railroad controversy was one of
thorough and complete investigation of
the merits of the dispute by the properly
constituted agency. SO long as the rail
road brotherhoOdS insisted upon striking
simply because of a request of the rail-
road executives for a second wage cut
Alr. Harding was ready to use the full
power OF the government to explain to
The American people the error of such an
attitude. The railroad labor board did
N effect guarantee the unions that no
second wage cut would be considered be-
lore next July by announcing that the
list of cases was too crowded 10 take up
the wage case. The railroads may or
may not have had some assurance that
their revenue would not in the meantime
pc diminished through reductions in
freight rates. That's something which
only the Interstate commerce romnisSioO
can answer. but the prevailing view here
IS that the commission and the United
States railroad board now are working
| together and that a drop in income will
not be forced without some understanding
about diminished costs though, TO be sure.
me statisticianS may find in the next
| Jew months railroad earnings Increased
through general business revival.