New-York tribune., 1922-08-15
Others Rights

oAIkCkS NASA&S
The shop crafts strike leaders who
talk of the rights of the men who have
deserted their posts would do we'll
to stop for a minute and consider
other persons rights. In the shop
mems view their rights to seniority,
pensions and insurance as railroad
employees are merely suspended
by the walkout. They boil over with
indignation at the thought of not
getting their rights and places back.
But what regard have they and
their sympathizers for the rights of
others? Is the public's right to ride
on railroad trains suspended" be-
cause the shopmen went out in a
huff on July and haven't yet been
invited back on their own terms?
Bombs were exploded last Sunday
under West Shore passenger train
filed with women and children re-
turning from country outings. Two
weeks ago similar sabotage was at
tempted on the Long Island Rail-
road.
Bombs have been thrown re-
peatedly into railroad yards in Cali
, fornia. Trainmen not on strike
: W5antonly deserted through pas
senger trains in the Arizona desert
President Harding telegraphed to
the Governor Of Arizona that these
passengers were "shamefully sub
jected to hardships." They certainly
were. The deserting trainmen com
mitted an abominable act.
In the old Western days the man
who stole horse-the only means
of conveyance across the arid plains
was considered an enemy of So
ciety and was lynched if caught
The Santa Fe passengers were SINH
larly marooned in the wastes by men
who had no grievance Of their own
and were wantonly penalizing travel
against which no union strike order
had been issued.
The public would still have a right
to travel on trains even if the union
train operatives had been called out
But in the minds of too many
strikers and strike leaders no rights
exist except strikers rights" Per
sons entitled to travel must be
manned, marooned, even killed, tt
discourage travel and compel the
railroads to receive back without
penalties of any sort workers who
quit the railroad service, knowing
that under the decisions of the Rail
road Labor Board they forfeited
their status by doing so.
1t is time that the rights of the
public to travel, of the carriers tt
operate and Of the government tt
exercise the authority given it BY
the Esch-Cummins act should re
ceive prompt consideration. Who
are judges of these rights? Not the
criminals who throw bombs anc
dynamite trains. Not trainmen whe
hold up passengers in a desert. MOI
even heads of other unions who have
been called into action at Washing
ton to mediate between the rail ex
2 ecntives and the shop crafts.
Mr.. Sheppard, the veteran presi
dent of the Order of Railway Con
ductors, seems to go even further
than Mr.. Jewell, the head of the
shopmen. The latter said on July ]
that the shopmen were through with
the Railroad Labor Board and "wert
not now working for the railroads.
That was truer in many more sense.
than Mr.. Jewell suspected. But Mr.
Sheppard says to-day:
I'VE hold that they have not beer
dismissed from the service; tha
they have not resigned by striking
but that they await a settlement O,
their difficulties and that ell thei,
rights as employees are suspended
only contingent upon their goinl
back to work or leaving the service
This issue applies to the right t.
strike under the law, the status Of
their pensions and insurance, as vel
as seniority"
This opinion creates rights for the
strikers which do not exist unde,
the transportation act and disquali.
fies the man who holds it as an &C.
ceptable mediator. Against such
artificial rights must be set the
fundamental, natural rights of per-
sons to travel peaceably and of the
railroads to operate trains, whether
manned by men belonging to the four
brotherhoods or not belonging to