The Washington times., 1922-07-26


practical joke Of the strike.
The immediate cause Of 1t Is the
glittering success OF the striking
shopmen in reducing the efficiency
Of the existing railroad locomotives
and railroad cars. Opinion in the
offices of the Interstate Commerce
Commission is heavily to the effect
that the strike breakers who are now
taking the places OF the union shop
men are quite unable to keep UP
with their tasks. The condition OF
the rolling equipment Of the rail.
roads Of the United States as a
whole is declining steadily and
rapidly.
This equipment was none too ade-
quate when the strike began. The
quantity of IL left much to be de-
sired. Now 1t is rapidly deterior-
ating in quality. Today II suffers
from two faults. In the first place,
there is not enough OF. II. anyway;
a nd in the second place, the amount
OF II that exists Is getting sadly i'm
paired in quality and reduced in ef-
ficiency by this strike.
But this strike has beer produced
at the very moment when the re-
vived Industries OF the country are
offering to the railroads the largest
quantity Of traffic in our whole ma
tional history. The amount OF goods
offered Is large beyond precedent.
The rolling equipment Of the rail-
roads ought to be correspondingly
large and good. II In fact 10 far
from large enough; and because OF
! this strike II will continue for a long
| time to be far from good enough.
The result anticipated 10 that
, Federal control will be necessary
| for q long time in order to enable
| the railroads to use their made
! quate and imperfect equipment to
| the best advantage. Federal con-
troll always comes on when the
railroads get into a traffic jam.
They got into a big one in the fall
Of 1917. That jam produced the
wartime Federal control. They
/ got into another one in 1870. Now
they are going to be in a third one.
In 1920 the Interstate Commerce
Commission was obliged to rescue
J the railroads from their jam by i'm.
posing Federal rules and regula-
tions upon them. These rules and
regulations compelled the railroads
to handle their traffic cooperative
ly instead OF competitively. The
railroad managers then got a peace
time dose Of governmental control
of "bureaucracy"-of state So
way to a stronger and longer dose
Of the same thing.
In the meantime the striking
shopmen are ready at any moment
to negotiate with the railroad man.
ayers in a national conference. The
evidence is strong that in such a
conference the shopmen would be
willing to make many concessions.
1t can be stated with absolute Ger
tainty that the shopmen would he
in a much more yielding mood in
a conference directly with their
employers than in any hearing be.
fore the Railroad Labor Board. The
shopmen detest the Railroad Labor
Board and profoundly distrust It.
They prefer the railroad managers.
They want to negotiate with the
railroad managers face to face.
But the railroad managers refuse
a national conference. They refer
the shopmen back to the Railroad
Labor Board. The shopmen refuse
to go. They do not want Govern
mental control for labor. They do
not want bureaucracy" and State
socialism" for labor. They may
want it for capital but they do not
want It for labor. The railroad man.
ayers do not want 1t for capital
but they pine for IL for labor. They
say to the shopmen: Submit your
selves to the Government" And
while they are pushing the shop
men into the Jaws OF the Railroad
Labor Board they are at the same
time unwittingly pushing them
selves into the jaws OF the Inter
state Commerce Commission.
The shopmen look on with satisfac
tion. They want the railroad man
ayers to get into the jaws OF the
Interstate Commerce Commission
They know that by law the Inter
state Commerce Commission has tn,
right to regulate the railroads by
orders which will have the force o.
law. They know that by law tn,
Railroad Labor Board has only tn,
right to Issue orders of advice anC
of adInonishment which have M
force Of law.
The shopmen expect to continu,
; to disobey the Railroad Labo
Board, and they know that tn,
railroad managers cannot disobe!
the Interstate Commerce Commits
, sion. They are content. Thei
state of mind is corroborated b,
the state OF mind which Is fount
among those governmental Officials
; who are really closest TO the situa
ton.
Among such officials the opinion
is widespread that while' the railroad
managers have made no progres