The Washington times., 1921-10-18
Today
No chIoroform for U. s.
$1a Day, for One Day.
" an Angel Came.
He'd Pity Princess Chin.
: ARTHUR BRISBANE
tCopyrisht issl.S

In days before chlorcform was
discovered they tied a man, held
him down. then cut off his legs,
II they thought It necessary. All
ne could do was to look on and
! yell.
Uncle Sam is In that posi-
tion today. Two classes Of doc
tors, railroad owners and rail
road workers, have made up
their minds to remove both Of
Uncle Sans legs for a little
while, taking away the railroads
on which he travels. And all he
can do is look on, and feel
sorry for himself. e..
II ought to be possible for q
great nation to have more than
that to say about its own affairs.
The President, who held con-
ferences all day yesterday, will
do all that he can do as an in
dividual to prevent the strike.
But all he can do, unfortunately,
is coax, which is not usually
/, effective. Ee can use troops to
suppress disorder and compel
} respect for the mails.
But that will not transport
freight and population.
The two million railroad work
I ers have a fund of two million
dollars ready to carry them
through the strike. That will
be one dollar a day for each
worker, for one day-not
great financial provision.
The railroad owners rely on
the financial weakness of the
workmen. When they can no
longer eat they must work.
The reliance of the workers is
on their numbers and physical
power, the extent to which they
may be able to frighten owners
Of railroads with danger to prop
erty and other dangers.
The public, awaiting an opera
ton that may or may not be per-
formed. squirms and yells. Cities
J collect fleets Of automobiles with
which to bring in milk, bread. and
coal. Detroit, remembering with
relief that Henry Ford owns one
railroad in the United States on
which there will be no strike,
can at least count on plenty OF
firewood. Ford's road taps great
forests. But you can't eat wood.
or build automobiles with it.
II Japanese airships suddenly
appeared above our cities. men
acing inhabitants, or il long
range guns from ships far out
at sea began bombardiug our
coast towns, we should have to
take our medicine and make the
best of It.
When when the entire nation is
menaced within it's own borders
BY a small section Of its own
population, every manufacturer
and business man suddenly told
his business may cease, every
worker informed that his work
and his pay may stop. mothers
wondering whether they will be
able to get food supplies for
their children. it ought to be pos
sible to do something besides sit
and wait and hope for the best.
A dispatch Of the International
News Service quotes w. q. Lee,
president Of the railroad train
men, encouragingly:
AZ would be glad to attend a
conference of union leaders and
railroad executives in Washing
ton, if President Harding should
see fit to call the leaders Of both
sides to the Capital"
That message shows the right
spirit. -,
However it is done, this
threatening strike should be
settled and prevented. The ma
tion can recover from war,
from the loss of ten thousand
millions lent abroad, the stagna-
tion of foreign trade, with Gus
toners all over the world half
bankrupt. -,
II we remain united and all
the elements of the nation work
together, war memories will
gradually fade, prosperity will
come back greater than ever.
But if one part of the ma
tion begins fighting with another
mart, IL organized labor and or
ranized capital attack the inter
ests of the entire people, regard
less of the general welfare, it
will be a sad day for all, es-
pecially for those responsible for
precipitsting the trouble.
II an angel from above came
down to inspect us, a sad re-
mort would be taken back. That
angel would find us, without the
faintest excuse, preparing to
enter a life and death struggle
among ourselves, instead of re-