The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-07-14
HOPEFUL ABOUT
STRIKE SITUATION
Government Believes There
Will Be Settlement Or
Truce This Week
LABOR LEADERS ARE
SOMEWHAT DIVIDED
DO Not Like Prominence President Gives
Labor Board In Wage Dispute--Con
gress Purposely Left That Body With
out Power To Impose Penalties.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE


Especial Despatch to The Reformer.l
WASHINGTON, July I4-An I'M
swerving optimism that the railroad
strike will be settled or at least truce
arranged before the end of the week
seems to pervade the executive branch
of the government whilst congress with
a meagre attendance reveals little con
Germ one way or the other.
President Harding is not directly a
party to any negotiations which are 90.
ing on informally among railroad men.
but he is kept constantly informed.
While there is a difference of opinion
among labor leaders as to the wisdom
OF that part of the Presidents proela-
nation which endeavors to give the
United States railway labor board, the
prestige and authority of law bV re-
ferring to 1t as "the agency of the.
government'} there is no dispute as to
the power of the chief executive to use
the army II necessary to prevent inter
ruption TO interstate commerce whether
the mails or private property of any
kind are carried
The position of the railway board
has on the other hand been immeasur-
ably strengthened by the statement of
the railroad executives TO the effect that
.
lions with their men but the decision of
the labor board is final. This is an in
teresting and hopeful development, as
viewed here, for it seems long step
toward industrial peace. Heretofore
the labor leaders have felt justified in
ignoring the decisions of the labor
board by the strike method chiefly be-
cause of a conviction that the railroads
themselves were not obeying the de
cisions of the board.
Important Precedent
Some lapses on both sides are ad-
mitted but the open recognition sby the
railroads of the finality of the United
States labor boards decisions Is re
garded here as an important precedent
which will make it difficult for the rail
roads later on to defy the board on
matters which appear TO favor the en-
ployes.
From the very beginning the Presi-
dent has Kept to one line of attack
namely the maintenance of the labor
board as the all powerful agency of
government above which there was no
appeal. Congress throughout all its de-
bates did not intend that any penalty
should attach for the dis0bedienee of a
decision of the labor board and pur-
posely omitted the matter of penalties.
believing that public opinion would
compel obedience Mr.. Harding is rely
there is a feeling in labor circles that
he has stated enormously the true
power of the labor board when he at
tempts in MS proclamation to give to
the labor boards decisions the weight
of law and when he gives the impress
sion that in striking against decision
OF the board the men are in effect strik
ing against the United States govern
ment. The truth is, nowhere in the
transportation act does the labor board
have powers of compulsory arbitration
The government however, has full
power to protect any workmen who ac
cept the decisions fof the board To
this extent any interference with inter
state commerce can be prevented and
leaders and workmen jailed if they pre-
vent others from taking Jobs in con
fornity with the labor boards awards.
Gompers Is Not Pleased
The President could have stressed
this phase of law breaking even more
than he did and kept within the mean
ing of the federal statutes but labor
leaders. among them Samuel Gompers
insist that Mr.. Harding's proclamation
contains an untenmable doctrine. 1t
is recognized, however. that if the rail-
road strike is settled directly or in
directly without serious challenge to
the authority of the, labor board an
important advance will have been made
and the principals expressed by the
chief executive will grow in weight
later on Once the railroad employees
decide to accept the decisions of the
labor board as final they will in turn
compel the railroads to do likewise or
forfeit the support of public opinion
which makes itself felt more readily
with the railroad executive because
of the influence of the government mp
ON the thousands of people and varied
interests whose collective power effects
railroad management.
The wav out for the railroad employees
Is to accent the decision of the labor
board with request for reconsidera.
ton. This may or may not be granted
bv the board. If it is granted il would
not commit the board to modification
but would afford the labor leaders an
onportunitv to resume negotiations and
end the strike without seeming to have
won or lost.