Evening star., 1922-11-07

thpte
Economic upheavals. past and pres
ent: the ups and downs of living
costs and all the related questions
derived therefrom. come much nearer
being the national concern than the
outcome Of any elections. Now that
the congressional campaign is thing
of the rast. il is inevitable that the
currents of thought which have run
from coast TO coast shall converge.
Whatever else Congress may have on
its mind this winter. it will feel the
pressure of the whole country that
the railroad and coal problems be
tackled in earnest. Looking ahead to
1924. it would not be surprising II
ma jor political issues were developed
by that time out of the railroad and
coal controversies.
Unions Lose Favor.
Much as the leaders of trade unionism
in America may dislike to read unp'eas-
ant news. they cannot afford to ignore
the fact that in many parts of the United
States unionism has become intensely
unpopular. Hitherto the dislike Of trade
unionsim has been confined to interested
quarters-namely. business and profes-
sional men, whose everyday worl,
brought them in contact, il not in con-
fiict. with unions. Today the hostility
to unionism-or more accurate term
would be national domination by unions
has risen out of the mass of people
who have been injured by the recent
controversies over transportation and
fue'.
Tracing the lines Of public thought,
one finds a certain impatence that con
troversies Of a major character cannot
be settled without resort TO force. There
is little disposition TO argue the merits
side of labor's ranks. whom the writer
encountered. were ready to say Tho
shopnen were right. We must suffer for
their cause" The public isn't in the
habit Of inviting injury to itself-it re-
sents interference with normal occupa-
tiOns and mostly it resents being de-
priyed OF necessities Of life.
Believe Unions OyerpIayed.
If the leaders of trade unionism could
have realized in advance the psyche
logical effect which the rail and coal
strikes would have on the cause OF
unionism as a whole. they might have
hesitated to permit either of the big
strikes to go as far as they did
Dozens of distinguished men who tried
to weigh impartially the merits Of
both strikes told the writer they be-
lieved the leaders OF the strikes over
played their hands-carried their
fight to the extremes.
And IL labor was the victim of
bunglins leadership, the same might
be said of the other side. Amy one
who travels from one end of the
country to the other on swing
around the circle must journey on
dozens Of different railroads and can
not help observing the condition OF
the roads, the morale of the workers
and the general feeling of the public
day resembles closely the conditions
just after the war ended. Trains are
late. schedules curtaiIed. mails are
necessarily delayed. freight is badly
congested in certain regions where
perishable goods must be moved and
the transportation muddle is SO big
that the wonder of it all is how the
public bears the strain.
Symptoms OF Revolt.
For one thing the people are cal
had their experiences with
wartime railroading and gave vent to
their feelings in the 1918 election. To-
day they realize that the strikes Of
last summer have left deep wounds in
the railroad systems Of the country.
But they will not stand it indefinitely
there are symptoms OF revolt. Here
and there people are beginning to say
perhaps government control would be
better after all. The farmers are by
no means appeased on the subject of
freight rates. Labor is sullen. The
sentiment for government control could
easily be reused in many parts of this
country and made an issue in the next
election. 1t all depends on what the
railroads can do toward giving efficient
service in the next eighteen months.
the morale OF the railroad
workers-trainmen, conductors. engi-
neers and dremen-never was at a
lower ebb. The workers are bitter
against their employers. They give
snr ssea ez at brn. any rate Ds Of
terminals. Again and again on my
journey engines were not ready at
the start of trains. Cars were con-
stantly being put on trains which
sh hotf1d never have been carried One
night in the west defective car was
delay of four hours. Inquiry devel-
oped the fact that the same car was
carried on another train the previous
night and should have been put in the
shops, but it wasn't.
Other Industries Call.
Many of the striking shopmen have
found jobs in other industries. Labor
is scarce in the automobile industry
and in the mechanical trades. Many
shopmen who know how to repair en-
sines will never be persuaded to re-
turn to the railroads. The latter
will have to get along with the mex.
perienced strikebreakers for many
months to come. Improvement in
railroad service must necessarily be
slow.
The openness with which trainmen
show their hostility to the railroads
ia surprising. They discuss these
strikes frankly with perfect strang-
ers and point at the strikebreakers
with contempt. Statistics have been
to the railroads of their fight against
the shopmen. 1t was a victory Of
value. II the railroads be-
Iieye the workers have been cowed
they are much mistaken. They have
been embittered. Their spirit of hos
dollars more. while the effect on the
public in dollars and cents Is as yet
incalculable.
Question vital to Future.
So trade unionism lost prestige, the
railroads lost efficiency, the public is
paying a huge bill OF costs and no
body can claim victory. And it's all
because no tribunal exists with suf-
ncient authority or prestige to settle
d;snufes without war