The Washington times., 1922-08-24
uru

road companies
WILLIAM HARD can give toiera.
BILE railroad service, he will probably
do nothing with II at all. He will
let the strike drag on. and he will
let the railroad companies gradually
wear the unions down and out. II
In the meantime they can tolerably
carry the goods Of shippers and the
persons of passengers.
II. however, they fail to be able to
give such a service. there are two
courses Of action that have been laid
before him.
one is to take over the whole rail
road system Of the United States
and operate II temporarily under the
terms Of his strike settlement plan
number one"
Accepted by Unions.
This plan was accepted by the
unions. It would bring all the union
men back to work at once. 1t would
produce Immediate and complete
railroad service throughout the coun.
try. II would eliminate all posi-.
bility Of a bad winter. There would
be no freezing or starving Of people.
In the meantime, the Railroad
Labor Board, under this plan. as
accepted by the unions. would pro-
ceed to hand down its final hind
ing decisions on the subject Of
wages and on the subject OF work
ing conditions. The unions have
pledged themselves to accept those
decisions.
When, therefore. those decisions
had been handed down and put
into operation. the President would
say to the railroad executives:
DO you want your railroads
back?"
They naturally would. and 1t
would all be over.
II Is urged on behalf OF this
course OF action that II settles
Many OF the Presidents advisers
are strongly opposed to IL, how
ever. for two reasons.
In the first place they contend
that Federal control of railroads
will be very expensive to the Gov
ernment and will lay new great
burdens on the Federal taxpayers.
In the second place they contend
that II is wrong to let the strikers
get their seniority rights" hack.
The Presidents Strike settlement
plan No. I" gave those rights back
to the strikers. Many Of the Prcsi-
dents advisers contend that In that
respect his plan No. I" was wrong
and unfair to the railroads.
Suggest Course Of Action.
Putting these two points together,
they suggest to him a second course
Of action as follows:
~ Il
private management.
2. Announce that every help will
be given by the Government to the
private managers to get volunteers
for running the railroads under the
seniority rules laid down by the rail.
road labor board.
3. II necessary, give these vol.
unteers the status Of agents Of the
Government.
This second course Of action would
mean a combat with bitter and long
| struggle. II proceeds on the basis
Of the Presidents strike settlement
plan No. O." That plan refers the
problem Of seniority to the Railroad
Labor Board and was rejected by the
unions.
The unions claim that the Pres.
ident's first plan must have been
his first idea of the best Justice.
They claim that II he is going to
intervene in the strike, he ought to
intervene on the basis Of what he
first thought just. and not on the
basis Of what might be called his
second best Justice.
His principal advisers, however
do not agree with the unions. Be
tween the two courses OF action here
outlined. the weight Of advice re-
ceived by the President Is toward
the second. The argument given for
1t by the people who believe in Il is
that while II might give the United
States very bad winter, II will in
the end give the United States q rail.
road system free from strikes.
| Such 10 the problem as II rolls back
| to the President from New York.