Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-08-02

40 ''Nh'fhNs
Note Outlaw Order Of Labor
Board.
"The chairman of the Labor
Board at the tlme the strike
was called made tho following
public statements:
"'Upon one question. tho
striking employees should not he
deceived. Their leader hns said
that the strikers are no longer
employees OF the railways. and
they have thus automa tlcally
abandoned all tho rights they
possess under their agreements
and under the decisions of the
board. including their seniority.
This II not tho board's action.
II is their own.
Many carriers are giving
their former employees tho op-
portunity to re-enter the service
within n limited time. 1t must
be understood now that men who
remained In the service and
those who are now entering IL
viii have rights of seniority
that the board could not ignore"
THE chairman OF the boards
statement that this is an in
dlvidual utterance. but Il ex-
presses. In substance. the aenti-
ments of a large ma jorlty of tho
members of the Railroad Labor
Board. was Justified by formal
action of the board taken In It's
stated. among other things. IA
follows:
BE Il further Received. That
the employees remaining In the
service and the new ones enter
Ing same, he accorded the ap-
plication and beneflt Of the out
standing wnge and rule decisions
of the Railroad Labor Board,
until they are amended or modi-
fed hy agreements with eaid
employees. arrived at IN confor-
nifty with the Transporta tion act
or by decision Of tho board. and.
Rights Board Gave Loyal Men.
"'Be It furthet resolved. that,
II It he assumed that tho em-
ployes who leave the service Of
the carrier because OF their dis
satiefactio with any decisions
of the Labor Board nre Within
their rights in so doing. IL must
likewise be conceded that the
men who remain In the service
and those who enter Il anew
are within their rights In &C
cepting such employment. that
they are not strikebreakers to
impose the arbitrary Will OF an
employer or employees: that they
have the moral as we'll al the
lesal Eight TO engage I'm Ruch
service of the American public
20 avoid Interruption Of injis-
pensable railway trNnsportatlo ton.
and that they ere entitled 10 the
protection of every department
anu ~ tiitn w Altt 'ftNtt AlIflHii.
State and national
1T must be understood that
any proposal that employees now
on strike shall be permitted 20
return 10 tho service, without
impairment OF their seniority. is
merely another way Of suggest
ing that those men who took
employment in this crisis in
good faith, relying on the prom
lees OF the railroads to protect
them in their poSitions-these
promises being Justified nv the
authoritative utterances Of the
Labor Board and thus have
made possible the continued
operation OF the railroads. shall
now be sacrificed In favor Of men
now on strike, who not only
brought about the crieis. but, by
their own action and deClara
ton are no longer employees Of
the railways under the juriedic-
tion Of the United States Rail
road Labor BOARD. or subject TO
the application OF the Transpor-
tatiOn act.
| Fatly Refuse Approval.
I'm addition 20 the necessity
Of upholding the Labor Board
and maintaining the pledges
made by the railroads to the
men now M work. there is the
practical effect on the super
visory officers Of violation Of
the pledges they were authorized
TO make. Their discouragement
and Generalization would he far
more disastrous than this or anv
other strike. Much harm has
already been done by repeated
publication Of rumors in recent
days that the loyal men and the
new men are 70 be sacrificed ia
the strikers. This has discour-
aged new men from accepting
employment in as great numbers
as would come forward il Ger.
tain that the pledges >given
would be fulfilled. Such pub.
liehed rumors only delay the
complete collapse Of the strike.
In view Of the above. II IL
submitted that the striking for.
mer employees cannot be giver
preference TO employees at pres
ent In the service. without doins
violence 10 every principle o.
right and justice involved in thi,
matter and without gross breach
of faith on the part of the rail
roads to the men at present 81
their service. Under these cir
cumstances. IL becomes apparen
that the railroads cannot con
slider any settlement of the pres
ent strike which does not pro
vide protection in their presen
employment. both 10 the loya
employees who rema ined in III
service and TO the new EN-
ployes entering it."