Evening star., 1922-09-04
new DRIVE TO END
= RAIL STRIKE seen
u. S. Government Reported
G Not Content With Mere
Restraining Orders.
COAL MUST BE CARRIED
Federal Troops May Be Used in
, Large Numbers Before
Trouble Is Settled.
COAL MUST BE CARRIED
ny DAVID LAWRENCE.

Further efforts to settle the shop
mems strike may be expected TINS
week, The federal government is not
Cbntent with the restraining orders it
MAS obtained from the courts to pre-
vent violence and interruption or rail-
way traffic Unofficial moves to medi-
ate are a natural corrollary OF the
eituation The success of mediation
sn the hard coal strike and the peace
full ending of the soft coal controversy
have made even more necessary the
finding of some common ground TOT
the settlement of the shopmen's strike.
Unless cars are available to move
the coal that is produced. the endlns
of the coal strikes Will have Deeh
futile The entire attention of the
government now Is concentrated on
the rail dispute. Attorney Genera,
baugherty's statement to the tederai
court in Chicago that equipment was
defective and that 1000 mail trains
had to be annulled do not square with
the optimistic expressions from the
headquarters of the railway eNecu-
tives about normalcy on their roads.
The executives have been issuing
statements galore in an effort to in
duCe strikers to come back to WORK,
!. 4, being assumed that the strikers
will grow pantcky and flock back to
their posts as they see their JOBS
being permanently filled. But the
morale of the strikers is not so easily
broken, and the government knows
exactly how bad are transportation
Conditions.
Two Opposing Factors.
Two fundamentals. however, inter-
p~Se themselves in the sftuation-the
railroads cannot be compelled to take
prlS nj unless
wish to do SO of their own free will
and the striking shopmen cannot be
forced TO go back to work under con-
ditions unfavorable to them. Neither
the United States Labor Board nor a
million injunctions can directly force
either side to yield. AS the endurance
fight drags on, however, the condl-
ton Of railway equipment, coupled
with the spread of acts of violence,
will COMPEL the federal government
as the agency of the public welfare
TO take a hand and. bring federal
force into play.
Here again are two opposing in
fuences-the railway executives and
behind them the conservative ele-
ments in the American business
world who insist that if protection
were really granted there would be
enough men recruited to break the
strike, and the advocates of govern
ment operation of coal-carrying
course would only mean delay and
no assurance of normal transporta-
ton.
Along with the idea of furnishing
protection, il is being urged that the
government use the entire Army, IT
necessary. to enforce the injunctions
which have been issued against
strikers who may perpetrate acts OF
violence. 1t is short step to the
use of troops on train, irrespective
the injunctions are actually known
80 be in the pathway Of trains or
thought to be.
Use of Troops Vital Issue
Federal troops are bound to be used in
large numbers before the strike is
settled. but there is disinclination
to use troops, unless the government
actually Is in control of the, roads.
And under such circumstances, the
strikers are not likely to interrupt
traffic but are represented as more
than eager to effect a settlement. The
moment government control starts,
the shopmen will return to work. The
moment troops are used to perfect
trains. which are run by their present
owners, the acts of violence probably
will cease, but labor leaders, who are
not given to exaggerated statements,
predict that the backs of the strikers
even more staunchly to return to
their jobs. Then it will be a question
of getting competent workmen. On
this question no exact information is
available.
President Harding has been given
the guesses and conjectures of all in
terested parties on this point. He
has only his experience in the coal
strike to go on. for he was told that
If protection were furnished there
would be plenty of men willing to
mine coal. He invited the operators to
reopen their mines under those con-
ditions. but very little increase in coal
production was noted.
Mr.. Harding is personally opposed
TO seizing any railroads. He has only
permitted his mind this far to guage
/. the possibility of asking Congress for
the necessary power while promising
not to exercise 1T. The drift of events,
however. is slowly in that direction
unless some mediation can be devised
.during the next two weeks to pre-
went n.