The New York herald., 1922-08-03
THURSDAY. AUGUST 3, 1922.
What 1t Means.

Only complete misconception OF
the actual railroad strike situation
could lead anybody into the error of
supposing that the striking shop
crafts unions could go back ito their
former positions with their seniority
and other rights unimpaired" and
not thereby work the gravest injus-
tice. the grossest wrong, against the
men, old and new, now on the jobs.
In the first place, it is a fact that
the strike has been utterly lost by
the striking unions. The roads are
doing better and better every day.
They are hauling more traffic. They
are making closer schedules. They
are repairing more equipment. They
are filing the remaining vacancies
more easily.
Now the roads could not be doing
all this unless they had very large
force, tens of thousands Of men. at
work in the places of the strikers.
Some of the very largest of the rail-
road systems have from so per cent.
to 80 per cent. of the places filled.
Others have 20 per cent. to 80 per
cent. Of the places filed. The aver
age for all the railroads OF the coun-
try is so per cent. to 20 per cent. of
the places filled.
It is astounding, therefore, to be
told that the strikers could go back
in full possession of "all their senior
ity and other rights without sacri-
ficing either the old men that have
stuck to the roads or the new men
that have gone to the roads.
Obviously the roads cannot carry
indefinitely on their payrolls twice
as many men as they need or so per
cent. more men than they need or
65 per cent. more men than they
need. They cannot carry 25 per
cent. more men than they need. The
superfuous men must be cut of.
1t is patent sophistry to say that
for time there would be employ
ment for all while the roads were
catching up with their shop work.
What If there should be? When the
extra work was done, whether In two
months or in six months, third or
half of the whole force would have
TO go just the same.
And, under the "unimpaired SEN
iority" of the strikers, 1t would be.
the men that stuck to the roads who
would have to go-the men that kept
the roads running when the strikers
tried to tie up the roads, the men
that won the strike for the roads
and for the public, won it so signally
that, when the strike leaders knew
they had lost 1t, they ran to Govern
ment quarters to see IL Government
officials could not save the day for
them after they had lost it.
There would be no way. under
the working of that ''unimpaired
seniority" shield OF the strikers, to
spare the other men when the extra
men had to go.
In the second place, to sacrifice the
men who have kept the roads running
in the teeth of the efforts OF the strike
leaders to tie up the roads and cause
the public immeasurable hardship and
suffering would tend to establish In
fis free country the unthinkable
doctrine that strikers could not lose
their jobs and rights. no matter what
they might do, and workers taking
the places of the strikers could not
hold their Jobs, no matter how eff
cient. faithful and loyal they had
been.
The strikers might tie up the roads
for days and weeks. They might
starve and freeze the public. Mobs
might dynamite the roadbeds and
bridges. might destroy trains and ter
minals, might commit crimes like the
unspeakable butchery at Herrin, Illi-
nois. Yet, as soon as they knew they
had lost their strike they could 20
back. under the precedent estab-
iished by the United States Govern
ment. and demand their jobs. could
demand that the men who had gone
10 the roads. kept the roads operat-
Ing. saved the public and saved the
country, must be evicted from the
inalienable property--the jobs-ot
the strikers.
The medieval delusion on the di-
vine rights Of kings, kings who could
do no wrong. no matter what they
did, never went any further than that
in challenging natural right, inherent
Justice and the liberty Of human
beings under free institutions.
In the third place, H. after the