The daily times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1902-1936, 1921-10-21
If RAILROAD MEN
ALSO REFUSE TO
OBEY DEMANDS Of
THE LABOR BOARD
After it Adjusts Differences
Between Them and the
Railroad Executives, Presi-
dent Harding Looks to the
Public to Bring Pressure to
Bear on Them Also.
(By David Lawrence).
Copyright, 1921, by The Daily


Washington, Oct O-Railroad
labor faces decisions far moro i'm !
portant to it's welfare than cuts in
wages if a strike should he called in !
defiance of the edict of the L. S. Rail- !
road Labor Board
Having in mind all eventualities.
the Administration is canvassing the
alternatives in the event that a |
strike should be persisted in after
the Railway Labor Board has done
! all that it can to adjust the contro-
versy. For the fact is the Esch-Cum-
minis law which created the Labor
Board did not provide penalties for
| violations of it's decisions. President
Harding hopes that public opinion
course to the courts will be unneces-
lsary. Needless to say, that would be
q solution more in harmony with
the wishes of the President than any
mature all proposals which take into
consideration a possible violation by
the unions of the mandate OF the
Hallway Board
/ Nevertheless there is a well-defined
feeling in administration quarters
which recognizes that some kind of
a policy must be pursued if, indeed,
lpublic opinion does not compel re-
ispect for the decisions of the Ry. La
or Board That policy unquestionably
will be an amendment to the Esch-
: iCunminS law imposing fines and i'm
prisonment on all persons convicted
of melting strikes or lock-outs in de-
fiance of the decisions of the U. S.
Railway Labor Board.
Such drastic step is inevitable if
| strike should be called. When
Congress had under consideration an
: anti-strike clause last year as part
l of the Esch- -Cummins bill, the Senate
: -lvoted in favor of it. The influence of
1 ORGANIZED labor defeated the clause
e lwhen the bill was in conference be-
: ween the two houses and it was omit
ted from the law. There was at that
e time no psychological compulslon
4 lurging Congress to act. If it is reas-
y loned, the Senate did actually adopt
: lsuch a provision when no strike was
q imminent and the matters discussed
g were purely hypothetical what would
F ,e the attitude of Congress as whole
when the nations food supply ano
Transportation of commodities were
.seriously held up by a countrywide
!strike on the railroads?
The impression prevails that il
President Harding asked that teetf
q be put in the Esch-Cummins law 81
v THAT the decisions of the Railroad La
5 Dor Board would be respected, there
s would be no difficulty in rushing sucl
if a measure through Congress. The biz
question is whether the railroad la
= Dor unions will force the administra
c. ton to such an extreme.
W. It's coming if there is railroa'
strike. The fight will be transferre'
l. to the halls of Congress where al
w ready there is enough Sentlmen
r against a railroad tie-up at this tim
to insure passage of any measur
l. deemed necessary by the Administra
~ ton.
9 incidentally, the original ant
strike clause imposed heavy penalt1e
on carriers and their executives fo
entering into combinations betwee
themselves to produce lock-outs G
strikes. Probably this time an ament
Of ment would be drafted which woul
10 s;mn,v make it unlawful for carrier
on or employees to enter into any con
m lbinations between themselves to VII
,g. late the decisions of the Ra1lroa
,c- Labor Board. There would be Z
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