The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-09-05
V|GOR LACKING IN
 HANDLING STRIKE
Administrations Hesltanoy in Dealing With Situation At-
 tributed to Elections
By HUGH W. ROBERTS Washington Bureau, The Herald,
 300 Davidson Building

washington Bureau, The Age-Hernld,
 800 Davidson Building
 Washington. September 4.-(Spe- cial)-While the Attorney General. two months late. has asked for an injunction restraining those who would commit unlawful acts against the transportation of food and mer- chandise in the United States. there Is no doubt but that the adminis- tration and Congress have been lack ing in that vigor necessary to se- cure the relief of the American peo- pie.
 The cause of the hesitation on the gress may be attributable to the fact that general elections throughout the country will be events of November. Senator Cummins of Iowa. chairman of the Senate committee on interstate commerce. indirectly implies as much when he announces that next De- cember he will move for legislation, anti-strike Legislation, which will contain teeth.
 In the meanwhile, the American Federation of Labor contemplates a meeting this week at which gem eral strike of all union labor will be considered. This would mean a revolution, 1t is not denied by any member of Congress.
 The Congress is now attempting to enact bill giving the interstate commerce commission authority to deny cars to those operators of coal mines judged to be profiteering. The bill was conceived by the adminis- tration for the purpose of relieving the people of the terror caused by the strike of miners and trainmen.
 According to Senator Underwood democratic leader, the bill cannot give relief; 1t will constitute mere gesture. Such legislation. he holds, would be of Identical character as the bonus bill. which created an enormous debt without making the slightest provision for it's payment.
 Senator Underwood stands for leg islation giving the labor board power to enforce it's decisions. Senator Cummins stands for that Legislation. But Senator Cummins and the ad- ministration would delay its nact- ment until after the elections, and the strikes have been brought, by some method, to conclusion. Sena- tor Underwood would tackle the proposition in the immediate pres- ent.
 Esch-Cummins Act
 The Esch -Cummins railroad act, as 1t passed the Senate. contained a Il. T fa the labor board power to enforce it's deerees. That provision was lost in conference. Senator Cummins de- clares the Senate conferees yielded with great reluctance after a futile fight of seven weeks. He declares it his understanding that surrender was necessary to save the bill, and that the bitter opposition of the House conferees was based on inti- nation from President Wilson that if the anti-strfke legislation was re- tained, the bill would be vetoed.
 Senator Underwood and Senator Cummins agreed that were that anti strike provision law. had the Con gress not set up court whose de- crees both capital and labor could safely disregard, there would be no strike in the United States today They agreed that no union could strike against the decree of court behind which stood the gover nent, and agreed that were the decisions of the supreme court non-enforcable, the supreme court would represent nothing more than sham and fraud
 That there will be such legislation another session of Congress seems to be certain. That very fact, 1t Is re- garded as possible, may be the in- spiration of those unionsists through out the United States who are de- luging Samuel Gompers with peti- tions to suggest a general strike on the part of all unions--a complete tie-up of American business.
 The legislation to be undertaken by republicans-after elections would not prevent men from quit ting work. or striking; but 1t would prevent any conspiracy to bring about the suffering of the unoffend- ing public in the United States.