The north Mississippi herald., 1922-08-18
THE PRESIDENT AND THE KING


crowned king of America. The presi-
| dent, speaking earnest, solemn words,
asked the close-knit group of rail-
road executives to respect law, de-
cency and humanity.
| He received curt refusal and
rebuff from King Railroad, but his
courage and moderation have won
him the esteem of the millions of
Americans whose chief and whose
spokesman he is.
The president asked the railroads to
recognize the railroad labor board,
which was created by Congress; to
withdraw their strike lawsuits so as
to permit government by law to be
resumed and government by injunc-
tion to be discontinued, and, lastly,
to take back their striking employees
without prejudice. To the first two
proposals King Railroad gave quail
fled assent. To the third he gave
brusque refusal draped in mealy-
mouthed phrases.
| President Harding sent Secretar!
of Commerce Herbert Hoover as his
representative to speak in person to
the railroad executives. Hoover's
speech was calm, fair and dignifed.
He was received almost with disdain
by King Railroad. The meeting was
in the board room of the New York
New Haven, and Hartford railroaf
a railroad that is one of the many
whitened skeletons that mark the
progress of King Railroad.
But to examine King Railroads
reply:
The thin veil over the rebuff to
President Harding is a claim that
seniority rights of strikers cannot be
restored because it would be unfair
to employees who did not strike and
to strikebreakers who took strikers
places.
How about that priority thing and
the concern that King Railroad has
for its preservation?
The fact is that at bottom the men
struck because King Railroad was
destroying the seniority rights which
he now holds so sacred. The rail-
roads entered upon deliberate pro-
gram of giving their car repair work
to contractors and closing down the
company repair shops. That meant
lockout for the railroad shopmen.
1t meant that not only lost their SEN
iority rights, but their jobs as wei.
The men appealed to the railroad la
Dor board on test case and the board
decided in favor of the men-the
work could not be contracted out.
Sixteen other cases were set for
trial. Other railroad shops were be-
ing closed. The railroads appealed
the decision to the slow process of the
courts. They denied that it was
test case. BY flank attack the
railroad labor board was enjoined
from even publishing its decision
To protect their rights and save their
jobs, the four hundred thousand rail
road shopmen, finding the labor board
paralyzed by the arts of the railroad
I1oxxyxyarS xuaot nV1 cfr;ko
President Harding has given patient
study to the whole case. He summed
it up. He temporarily asked King
Railroad to obey the law. He was
rebuffed and the scar of the rebuff is
an honorable scar earned in the pub
lie service.
| King Railroad says he will fight to
finish. That means a coal famine
1t means food cannot be moved. 1t
means that industry and commerce
will be paralyzed. 1t means that
payrolls will be stopped.
i Harding is not the first president to
meet King Railroad. Nor the first to
be treated with disrespect. He is
in good company. King Railroad de-
clares war on the people of the U
Son women and children. Pres
emily he will ask President Harding to
employ the U. S. army to fight under
King Railroads banner and against
the people of the country. Then,
agaiu, the president will meet the
King.-Memphis Press.