The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1922-09-21
PEOPLE TIRED or VANDALISM
AND ALSO OF GOMPERs

President Harding. in his address
to Congress on August is, made
this declaration:
II am resolved 70 use all the
power Of the government to main
tain transportation and the right Of
men to work"
The proceedings Instituted By the
Department Of Justice at Chicago.
in which an injunction against the
striking railroad shopmen Is sought.
have but one object and purpose.
namely; "tO maintain transporta-
tion" and to protect men In their
right 10 work The purpose OF the
federal government Is made very
clear In the petition and argument
Of the Attorney General
There is no reason for surprise
( or astOnishment that the federal
government should take this action
The careful reader OF the news is
not lacking In information concern
| ing what has been taking place.
\ Ever since the shopmen's strike be
gan on July / there have been more
or less Violence and disregard o.
the law, part OF II serious and
defiant. Following the failure Of
the latest attempt at mediation,
violence and law defiance have in
creased. They have taken the form
OF train wrecking. attempt train
wrecking and burning OF bridges,
/ In addition TO the personal tntim!-
dation that has been practiced from
the beginning.
The shopcrafts leaders have dis
| cleaned responsibility for these IL
| legal acts, and The Journal does
| not charge them with responsibility
/ for them, but the fact that they
have occurred is beyond denial.
They constitute a most serious at
| tempt to interfere with the opera
| ton OF trains, to state II mildly
The federal government. II it's ex-
| pressed determination to maintain
transportation was not TO become a
/ hollow mockery, was bound TO take
| cognizance OF them and to exert
all its power to compel obedience
TO the law.
The action OF the department of
| justice is not directed toward any
| law-abiding individual or organiZa-
tion. No man who is strictly with
in the law, no organization that is
strictly within the law, no organi-
zation that is complying with the
| law. will be disturbed by II. The
| injunction rests upon those alone
who have been and who are dis
| Obedient to the law, who have been
and who are committing unlawful
| acts
In the opinion OF The Journal,
| the statement issued in Chicago by
| the executive committee Of the rail-
way employees department Ameri
| can Federation of Labor. is in
much better temper than the ex-
cited outburst of Samuel Gompers
president of the federation. in Wash
ington. In moderate language the
executive committee declares its
purpose to aid in maintaining a
peaceful suspension of work and to
do all those things which II con-
siders to be lawful. II expresses
dissent mildly but firmly against
some of the restraints sought to be
imposed by the Department of Jus
tice.
Mr.. Gompers. however, fulmin
ates. He proclaims what takes the
appearance of a declaration OF war
against the United States gosern-
ment. He encourages defiance Of
the terms OF the injunction and he
threatens general, nation wide
strike II Mr. Gompers is to be
believed, we are about to engage
in a civil war to determine who is
who in this country; whether the
federal government is the supreme
authority or whether the labor un-
ions rule. The situation is not as
serious as that, however. Allow
ances will have TO be made for Mr.
Gompers. This is not the first
| time that he has seen red. There
will be no nationwide strike There
will be no widespread defiance of
The courts. II the injunction Sc.
cured in Chicago shall be found
to invade any of the legal rights
OF the striking shopmen, they will
not be denied the opportunity to
secure redress by legal methods
In the courts.
The strike will continue. say the
shopmen, and il probably will. The
injunction does not interfere in any
way with the right Of the men
| who are on strike to stay out as
long as they desire. II does not
| seek to compel them to return to
work. They are left with free
choice. The injunction does con
template, however, that the men
who may desire to work, shall rot
be prevented from working They
too, have freedom of choice, ana
they are to be protected in II.
The President has pledged the
whole power of the government TO
maintain transportation, and If the
whole power of the government is
used, transportation will be main.
tanned. Sioux City Iowa. Jour.
nal.