The New York herald., 1922-08-01
No Settlement of Dishonor.
Injustice Of Depriving Loyal Shop
men Of Their Seniority Rights.

TO THE NEW YORK HERALD. Permit
me TO congratulate you for that most
excellent editorial article entitled "No
Settlement OF Dishonor" In THE NEW
York HERALD.
Not only did the United States Rail
road Labor Board declare when the
men went out that the strikers had
forfeited all their rights of seniority.
&c. but the Administration at Washing
ton also stated in most emphatic terms
that the strike was one againstf the
Government and that the old employees
who remained at work. as well as new
men employed to take the places of
strikers. could In no sense of the word
be considered as strike breakers" The
railroad executives relied on these state
ments and no one can now justly criti-
cize the stand they now take on the
subject OF the restoration of seniority
rights and their determination not to
abrogate promises made to old en-
ployees who remained at work or to new
men employed to fill the places left
vacant by the strikers.
| To welch on all those statements at
this time would most certainly discredit
both the Labor Board and the Admin
istration and would also cause all fair
minded persons to lose all faith in the
railroads, the labor board and the
Administration.
The strikers maintain that seniority
rights mean nothing to present employ
ees, but that they do mean everything
| to them--the strikers--a perfectly ridic-
ulous statement the fallacy of which
can be conclusively shown by the fol-
lowing concrete illusration: A certain
young man here in Albany has
been in the employ of the New York
Central as a shopman in the West AL
bany shops for between four and five
years. When the strike was called he
refused to go out and has worked stead
lily every day since at not little dam
ger to himself. as he lives about two
miles from his place of employment and
the word has been passed around that
he will Suffer physical violence because
of his persistency in remaining at work
Many of the striking employees had
been, in the employ of the road much
longer than he had been, so it clearly
follows that when the strike commenced
others enjoyed seniority rights much SUI
perior to his.
Even now many faithful employees Of
the company enjoy such rights superior
to his. But by reason of his decision
to remain at work his seniority rights
most certainly were very greatly adj
vanced and for the railroad labor
board or the executives of the New
York Central now to take the strikers
back with full restoration Of the senior
ity rights enjoyed before they went
out on strike would work great inju5-
tice to- him as well as TO all other en-
ployees who did not strike. and would
be but premium for non-observance of
law and order. To maintain that such
seniority rights mean nothing to pres
ent employees Is certainly not founded
on cold. hard facts.
This is not brief for the United
States Railroad Labor Board nor is It
an argument against the right of any
individual, or group of individuals, to
cease TO work under conditions which do
not seem fair and reasonable. 1t is SIM
ply the expression of belief which all
lawabiding citizens hold; namely, that
any man who has the opportunity to
work and elects to do so should be al
lowed to do so just so long as he proves
himself competent to fill the position
and that he should not be made to suf-
fer for the benefit OF others who of
their own free will and for reasons best
known to themselves elected not to
work. FOSTER PRUYN.
ALBANY, July 81.