The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-08-25
PRESIDENT MAY
MAKE ANOTHER TRY
Railroad Shopmen Left In
Soliciting Mood by
Executives
HARDING'S PROPOSAL
MAY BE ACCEPTABLE
Siiopmen Not Likely to Involve Brother
hoods in Strike-President Will Not
Allow Transportation to BE Tied Up
Executives Feel Strong.

By DAVID LAWRENCE.
Especial Dispatch to The Reformer.l
Copyright 1922.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25.-The next
move in the rail strike is President Hard
ing's.
The collapse of mediation on the part
of the brotherhood chiefs and the rail
executives leaves the situation exactly
where it was when Mr.. Harding yielded
to impulse and allowed the disputants
to try settling the strike themselves.
This effort has failed and the effect of
it has been to strengthen the belief of
the rail executives that they have the
shopmen ION the run" and that by per-
sisting to the end they win crush the re-
sistance of the union leaders and force
absolute surrender.
There is no question that the shopmen
have been placed in the position of
begging for reinstatement. The unan-
unity of the executives in rejecting their
pleas is directly attributable to feel
ing that by showing united front at
this time the rail- executives would be
delivering body blow at future strikes.
But viii the shopmen surrender! viii
the brotherhoods allow a crushing defeat
to be administered to unionism? Many
of the rail executives think it inevitable
and are secretly rejoicing over the out
come. They are hoping MIR. Harding viii
do nothing at this time to spoil what
appears to them most favorable situa-
ton.
Some Equipment Defective.
Unfortunately there are signs of a
determination on the part of the shop
men to carry matters TO the extreme and
to involve insofar as they can. the other
railway organizations. Already the in
teTstaJe commerce commission in an
! official report to the President, has re-
ported on the defective equipment on
American railroads and the trainmen
| have on more than one occasion used
| this as an excuse for refusing to run
trains. Their mistake was in stopping
traffic abruptly and without warning
| to the passengers. The question OF
| whether the brotherhoods win announce
| a complete walkout on a specified date
| unless the shopmens strike is settled Is
| quite another phase of the matter. They
could If they chose use the interstate
| commerce. commission report and tht
continuance of the shopmen's strike a;
! an excuse for such tactics.
| President Harding, however, will not
/ permit transportation to be tied up. His
| message to congress contained the sig
nificant statement that he possessed the
| power under the existing statutes to pre-
| vent interference with transportation
| and there is every reason to believe Mr.
/ Harding would use the power by secur
!, ing the indictment and arrest of any
persons suspected of giving orders to tic
| up transportation.
Want Harding to Try Again.
| Mr. Harding however, is being urged
/ to try his hand again at mediation. The
| proposal of the rail executives to Mr.
/ Harding a week ago was much more
! favorable to the strikers than was the
| reply handed the brotherhoods in New
| York on Wednesday. As the negotia
| tions drag ont, the executives feeline
| the strength of their position and Their
| greater powers of endurance. are going
| back to their original position of free
! hand in dealing with the seniority ques
| ton.
Under these circumstances many PEG
pie in the administration circle are of the