The Washington times., 1922-06-06

Deadly Blow for Labor.
Some Little Things.
Expensive Childbirth.
Not a Subtle Devil.
y ARTHUR BRISBANE
CaovrfzhN NASS

Not a Subtle Devil.
by ARTHUR BRISBANE
Copyright. isai
An important decision from
the Supreme Court says that
heads of labor organizations
can be held responsible for
strike damages. II Mr.. Com
pers should call a strike, and
in the strike mines or build
ings were wrecked, Mr.. Com
pers could be made to pay
IL he had the money.
This most severe blow at
union labor makes every union
official responsible for any
thing that may be done by
workmen in the course Of a
strike called by that official.
It must tend to drive unions
underground into secret organi-
zations, something hardly to
be desired.
No man questions the sin
cerity of the Supreme Court
judges. No man questions,
either, that that courts sin
cerity is now in the direction of
conservatism and reaction. Re-
cent decisions have prevented
interference with child labor,
prevented interference with
gambling in foodstuffs, pre-
vented and declared uncon-
stitutional the effort of city
to regulate the price of gas.
When a Supreme Court be-
comes too conservative, how
ever sincere it may be, some
thing else happens at the
ballot box of course-and then
you get different decisions.
History shows that absolutely
sincere convictions can be COM
pletely changed over night
after the right kind of a vote
has been cast.
BY the way, the New York
Consolidated Gas Company, re-
Gently protected against "confis-
cation" by the Supreme Court, is
wondering what to do with ITS
surplus funds. 1t will pay off
and call in its securities and then
issue two shares Of stock for one,
paying dividends on both shares,
according to present plans. Thus,
in the future, the Supreme Court
will have a chance to protect 1t
again from "confiscation."
Small things, far apart, in
terest human beings. For in
stance, in Kentucky, Robert
Baker, eighty-four years old, be-
comes the father Of his thirty
third child. The mother, who
has eight children, is Mr.. Bakers
seventh wife. His views on
women's rights would be inter-
esting. -
A dispatch says that Lenin
has had a stroke and is re
covering, after dangerous ILL
ness. The marvel is that he is
still alive. Excepting Lloyd
George, no man has carried such
q load.
international News Service
tells of 1T Russian children
dying of glanders, and shot by
official order to end their hor-
rible suffering. Chambers, dis
ease of horses, is never cured in
human beings. The children
probably contracted the disease
eating decayed horse flesh.
A pretty picture of modern
civilization. Those, including our
own Government, that helped
with a blockade to keep food from
these Russian children should
feel proud of themselves.
The British House of Com
mons will regulate trained ami
NAL exhibitions-to protect the
animals from cruelty. Wild
animals are made ridiculous by
exhibitions that have no value.
1t is interesting to observe that
the new law would forbid any
exhibitions of trained chimpan-
zees or other man-shaped apes.
This looks suspiciously like rec
ognition of a family relation
ship, and Mr.. Bryan must do
something about it.
1t costs something when lit
tie industrial babies are born.
In the rich human family. the
accoucheur charges about a
thousand dollars. In high
finance it costs more.
The new steel trust will pay
about zone million dollars" to
the lawyer who acts as legal
midwife. 1t will give a profit
of "about two million dollars"
TO the banking firm that acts
as financial midwife. There
will be other expenses, including
which should interest poor
lanlbs-"promotion that will en-
able insiders to get out and out