, 1922-08-18

\ of Railway Executives. IN writing
on the same day. a tentative PROPOSE
for settlement Knowing thai some OF
the carriers had offended by iEnor
ing the decisions Of the board aud tho
employees had struck when they hac
n remedy without the strike. I felt II
was best TO start all over again. re
sumo work with all agreeing 10 abide
faithfully Dy the boards decisions,
thus to make Il a real tribunal OF
peace IN transportation.
The barrier 90 be urmounte was
tho question OF seniority. By, the
workmen these rights are held to be
sacred. and unsurrendered by q strike
By tho carriers the preservation OF
seniority is the weapon OF disc!oline
on the n hand, and the reward Of
faithful employees on the other. II has
been an almost ~invsriabio ruis that
when strikes AVE been lost seniority
and it's advantages have been surren-
dered, when strikes have been settled
seniority has been restored
PART ELEVEN.
In the tentative proposals which /
sponsored. Il was provided that every.
body shouid go TO work. with seniority
right unimpaired. that there should be
no discrimination by either workmen
or carriers against workmen who did
not strike. 1 realized that the pro-
posal must carry a disappointment to
employees who had inherited promotion
by staying Loyalty on the Job, and TO
such new men MS had sought Jobs
looking TO permanent employment: hut
| wanted the fresh start and maintain.
ed transportation service, and 1 an
praised h disappointment of the few
to be less important than the impend.
ing misfortune to the nation. II was
not I would ask ordinarily to be
considered or conceded, but nj tina,
moment OF deep anxiety. with the coal
shortage gravely menacinE, I wa.
thinking Of the presiding demands of
tie welfare OF the whole people. I be-
v tho sacrifice brought TO the men
involved could be amply
Tor by the carriers in practical WAYS
1 believed the matter of transcend.
ant Importance was the acceptance of
the proposal to respect the labor
boards decisions on the qestions which
formed the issue at the time of tho
strike. The public compensation wouId
De complete In guarding by law
against recurrence.
Inc proposal was rejected By the
Carriers. Though the rejection sid
not end all negotiation. it left the
government only one course-to call
the striking workmen to return to
work to call the carriers TO assign
them to work mt lenvs the DISPUTE
about seniority to the labor board fo-
decision. When negotiation or medi.
alton fails. this is the course contem
plated by the law and the Government
can have no chart for its course OK.
c?pt the law.
To this call n majority Of the chr.
riers responded favorably. pronosir,
to re-employ all strikers except those
guilty Of violence against yyorkmen
or property. to restore the striI,iny
workme to their old positions where
vacant. or to like positions where va,
cahcles were filled; questions OF sen.
iority which cannot be settled between
inc employer and the employees to go
10 the labor board for decision. The
minority OF h carriers Jos to
assign JOBS to workmen on strike only
where n positions were vacant.
Neither proposal has been accepted.
Ihus the narrative brings us TO the
present moment, but 1t has no includ.
ed h Developments which have
heightened tho governments concern.
sympathetic strikes have developed
mere and there. seriously impairing
interstate ommerce. Deserted trans
continental trains in the desert re.
gions of the southwest have revealed
the cruelty and contempt for law on
n part of some railway employees who
have conspired to paralyze Transports.
ton; and lawlessness and violence in
a hundred places have revealed the
failure OF the striking unions to hold
their forces to law observance. Men
who refused to strike and who have
oraved insult and assault and risked