Evening star., 1922-08-11
Rate by Mail-Payable in Advance.
MARYLAND and Virginia.
All Other States.
A Crucial Day.

This is d crucial day in the history
of American labor. For on this day. it
is expected. the leaders of the railroad
unions now on strike will decide
whether or not to accept the latest
proposal of President Harding. offered
as means OF settling the strike and
effecting the resumption of work.
1t is also a crucial day in the history
of American railroads. For today the
executives of the lines will on their
part decide whether or not to accept
the same proposal and by submitting
all questions involved in the strike to
the legally established board of award
to cause the resumption Of work.
If either side rejects the proposal
the strike continues. If both accept, it
ends.
The case is complicated by the
earlier rejection by the executives OF
the Presidents first plan. which pro-
posed reference of all questions to the
Labor Board save that of seniority.
and called for the restoration of
seniority rights to all the strikers. The
union leaders had accepted this
proposition. Now it is feared that the
unions will reject the suggestion to
submit the seniority question to the
Labor Board. while evidence appears
of decided division of opinion among
the executives on this question.
IL either side refuses to accept this
nlor f,,. ha of whole
case TO the Labor Board, seniority in
rluded, the strike continues. And there
IS danger that it will spread to include
other crafts than those of the shops.
Members of the "brotherhOods." the
men who handle the trains. are being
advised by their leaders that they may
refuse to work if they believe that
they are endangered by operating un-
safe equipment. or by the presence of
armed guards in the yards and around
the terminals. placed there to prevent
interference with the working shop
men.
The case thus has gone beyond the
question of seniority. The shop strike,
it is plain. had not succeeded. The
roads are still operating, on fair per-
centage of efficiency, though six weeks
have now passed. The shops are
being steadily more fully manned,
with new employees and with returning
strikers. We're it not for coal short.
age, due to the strike in that industry,
the train service would be very nearly
vx,ho har
the complaints of the brotherhoods re-
garding safety are not inspired by
sympathy for the striking shopmen
and a desire to aid them rather than
consideration for public or personal
security.
Upon that side which refuses to ac-
cept the plan of the President for
complete reference to the Labor Board
will rest the responsibility for the con-
tinuation and possible spreading of the
strike. If both reject, upon both sides
will that responsibility rest. But the
public will not be served by a mere
definition or by a distinct division of
the responsibility. If the railroads can
maintain service as the case stands,
and if the strike does not spread to
include other crafts and unions, the
public will not be concerned. If, how
ever. refusal of the executives today
TO accept the submission plan leads to
a spread of the strike they will incur
the odium of inviting a disaster, even
though the public may wholly agree
that they were right in their refusal
to yield the seniority principle in their
rejection of the Presidents first pro-
posal If. on the other hand, the ex.
ecutives accept and the unions reject
full submission. and the strike spreads,
the people will hold the labor leaders
ss accountable for any troubles that
may later develop, through the spread
of the strike and through the applica-
Iion of such drastic measures as the
government must then adopt to in
sure adequate transportation.