The Washington times., 1921-10-19


the Administration. knowing that II
II does get into such a position, the
opinion of the general public will be
overwhelmingly in favor OF the Ad-
ministration, supporting II in all nec-
essary measures. however severe.
Although this is true. however, the
settlement is likely TO be delayed until
toward the last days of the month. for
both sides are In a desperate, warlike
mood, and will not give up the zest
for fight until about the last call.
Want u. s. Ownership
The position of the men, underlying
their specific demands, is that this is
"a most favorable moment to force gov
ernment operation and ultimately gov
ernment ownership. To bring about a
situation 80 bad that the only way out
would be seizure of the roads by the
government would suit the unions
'ompletely.
The roads, on the other hand, think
his is a moment so favorable to their
chief war-aim that they hate to see II
pass without a pitched battle. Their
chief aim is to kill the unions here
and now, so dead that they will not
imagine themselves alive for a long
time to come.
Mr.. Atterbury, with all of his good
pOifltS, lS lHe 1llOSl udIStIOut man III
the situation today. AS chief of the
Pennsylvania railroad his influence
on the negotiations is immense, and so
far he seems a victim to the delusion
that he can use this crisis to break the
unions, even if he had to defy the
government to do IL.
The cold bottom fact Is that private
ownership of railroads is doomed.
Even in England where the managers
are proud of cooperating with the
men, the situation is ha'' nough.
With a bunch of manager" as we
have here, who glory in l that
they can get back the au they
had forty years ago, there Is not
chance of ultimate success.
There are the same specifically
clever and fundamentally stupid men
who had no more sense than to clamor
to have the roads handed back to
private control in the middle of
storm. You might suppose they would
have enc. uraged the Government to
keep control while it faced the in
soluble problems of the next few
years.
Flood of Propaganda.
Not bit of it. Driven by some
kind Of lsanity they filled the cOun-
try viii, their propaganda ahOu, how
all the Ills We're due to puh,c man.
agcment and how all wOul d. milk
and honey if the roads were only
turned back to their former enlight-
ened bosses.
What caused these so-Called busi-
ness men to commit such half
witted error? Partly, no doubt the
instinct to ma . thcir own Jobs more
important. PaIIy the influence of
the bankers. who have no murc sense
of fundamentals than have the rail-
road executives.
Largely, to be sure, the fact that
they have fallen victims - their own
propaganda. 1t is just as K was in
the war. We told ourselves lies to
help us fight, and then we had hard
work forgetting the lies.
The managers of the roads have
been waging war for several genera
tions against two enemies. One was
Government regulation. When in
1917 this became Government control
the wheels in the heads of the man
ayers steadily turned out the old
noises. Everything the Government
did was by necessity had.
The uihcr enemy was the unions.
For so lOHS the road managers have
made up tales against labor, because
il wished TO combine and negotiate,
like capital. that they cannot APP
proach the unions now with the
sanity that should belong to peace.
They think of the unions with the
fury of war. Smash the unions is
the slogan 10 which their hearts and
minds are throbbnE.
am among those VIII" think there
will be NO. strike. but when he strike
is avoided there viii h;I, been no
long step taken tON; . H..manent
Improvement in tn. ,. ir.. stiuation.
Such an imprONuu.u Is mDOSsible
with the present managers.