The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-10-19
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

By DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Dispatch to The ReformerD
Copyright 1921. ...-.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19.-PrevallIng
opinion among, members of the cabinet and
others in touch with the railroad situa-
ton is that there will be no strike. -.
This is based mostly on knowledge
that the labor leaders themselves are not
eager for a test of strength and that the
railroad executives cannot afford to take
an arbitrary attitude toward any compro-
mise solution that may be proposed.
Many q compromise is being considered.
The chances are that the calling OF the
strike as a protest against second wage
cut will lose its main justification when
a proposal is made that the interstate
commerce commission and railroad labor
board be given an opportunity to work
out a program whereby reductions IN
wages shall be passed on to the consumer
through cheaper freight rates.
As it is now. the labor leaders claim the
first cut in wages of last July WASH
passed on. The railroads claim the wage
cut wasn't big enough to warrant drop
in rates The strike has been called
mostly to prevent a second cut. The re-
quest for a second cut in wages. 1t IS sus-
pected. is largely the strategy OF the rail-
road executives in wishing to make sure
of the acceptance of the first cut.
/ Shippers' organizations seem to be
placing as much blame on the United
States railroad labor board as on either
of the parties to the controversy for the
failure of the railroads to reduce rates.
The railroad labor board. on the other
hand. claims it hasn't been able to operate
single-handed since it could not know hGw
far wages could be reduced because there
terstate commerce commission thought Ii
wise to go in reducing rates. The labor
board has been handling wages, the inter
state commerce commission has been
q handling rates. President Harding has
wisely brought the two agencies together.
They have practically adopted a program
which will be offered as the combined
Judgment of the two instrumentalities
which deal with American railroads
+ There are plenty of technicalities. plenty
: of chances for give and take in the ne
gOtiations to. permit of a withdrawal of
the strike order, or at least its indefinite
suspension. while the whole controversy
is further examined. This seems the most
/ likely outcome OF the meeting in Chicago
/ Of the railroad labor board and the broth
erhood chiefs.
J The latest threat to strike Is not the
Fesult of any ong-drawh-out negotiation
in which both sides have exhausted their
9TgumentatlVe resources. 1t Is as much
the result of an old-fashiOned calling of a
bluff as anything else. The labor
leaders called on the executives to protest
against the first wage cut. The executives
replied with an announcement that they
! intended to request a second cut The
/ labor leaders said they would have to call
a strike. and the executives in effect said,
j Go ahead" The labor leaders were
compelled to go ahead or lose moral
strength in a negotiation. If pushed to
the limit, they win go through with the
tie-up, but nobody here believes the gov
ernment will allow the two parties to the
+; dispute to goad each other into test of
power at the expense Of the public
| New proposals of settlement are fully
expected, therefore, from the United
States railroad labor board which will
permit each side to recede gracefully
while a program of wage cuts on the one
hand and freight rate reductions on the
other is worked out. Meanwhile Attor-
ney General Daugherty is making no rash
statements about the use of the injunction
| and President Harding is keeping Scrupu-
/ lousy silent. Nothing is being done by
! the administration to aggravate the situa-
] ton
For the next few days the usefulness of
! the United States railroad board a. an
agency for settling railway disputes hangs
in the balance. IL it fails, congress viii
| have to effect another remedy. But the
| disposition here is to give the board a
further opportunity to compel respect for
! its decisions.