The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-07-11
By DAVID LAWRENCE
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.l
Copyright 1922

Dy bAf1D LAW RENEE
Especial Despatch to The Reformer.l
Copyright 1922
WASHINGTON, July ll.-There's
grave danger that as a result of a con
tlict as to whether employees of on,
class shall substitute Others Of another
craft, general railroad strike NAV b,
preeipitated.
The railroad brothernoods, led bv tn,
! tralnmen and tiremen7s organizations
nave let 1t be known that their mem
peTs cannot be ordered TO do Wort
Whlch the men now on strike ara arcus
toned to do. Some OF the railroad ex
ecutlyes take the view that they hay,
a right to order any of their emnlovp.
TO do any work they please in an emer
genev: 1t such an attitude is perslste,
IN union men now at work are expecte,
to decline and should they be dis
charged Tor disobedience they will b.
backed to the limit by their own Oh
carnations and sympathy strike vii
then be inevitable.
The railway executives are by n,
means united as to the stand the
should take. Some of their uumbp
think that general showdown woult
| be benefit III the long run as the,
contend that public opinion woult
SWING away from the strikers ant
that once railway strike was won by
the roads the fears of industrial con
flIct which have been for so MANY YEAR
worrying the roads viii be once and 70
| all dIssipated. The seriousness of TIN
situation is thoroughly realized by tn
| nlted States labor board, which ha
adopted resolution giving the opinion
| that workmen of one class cannot b
/ ordered to do the work of the striker
but the danger lies in the fact tina.
work overlaps so much and that it i
hard to draw the line Naturally tn
| union men at work can be expected t
draw the line much closer than the rail
way officials who are interested il
| Keeping their trains going no matter
how the job is done.
May Develop Friction
! The presence of militia in many re
! giOns of the country is always poten
| tial source of trouble and both side
/ are none too sure that the strike car
/ be carried on without friction The ad
| dition of strike breakers has compli
Gated matters on some roads. In othe
words as the trouble making factors ac
| cumulate an enlarged strike area in
| Guiding a gradually increasing numbe
! of men is developed
Many of the executives who in theiti
hearts are opposed to a strike and VIII
do not want to see the present situa
! ton complicated are doing everythin
] IN their power to prevent friction bu
they scent real danger in the attitud
of those who would insist upon sub
| stltuting one class for another regard
| less of the admonitions of the brother
| hoods and resolutions of the railway
labor board itself. These are the exccu
tives who are still hopeful that was
| NAV be found to settle the present diff
| fculty in 4 short time but Just as j,
the coal strike there are among the on
orators widely divergent opinions rs t.
| the policy that should he pursued s.
4 4E.T,
themselves adopt n uniform policy be
| fore it can be said that the nation Is
immune from a real transportation tic
M.
No Call For Federal Troops
Government officials were TODAY work
| ing over all the statutes which could
| in any way give them authority to USE
! force to assist in the clearing M of thu
, situation. The call for federal troop
to protect strike breakers and main
| tain order has not vet come as the sew
| oral states feel able to conc with the
situation without federal aid. but any
| interference with the mails would
| surely bring the federal government
| into the conflict Instructions have
rome forth to district attorneys to or
| der the arrest of persons Interfering
with the mails but aside from that
/ nhasa of the controversy there is doubt
| whether the federal government has
1 the nNWer even indirectly To conner Iht
| strikers to 90 hack to work. Congress
aIore could make a strike on a rail
| road matter of conspiracy to inter
| "upt interstate ce.--~>>,erce but as the
| ouse has recessed and the senate is
'nIsv with the tariff there are no signs
| that congress is perturbad over what Is
Lanpening or likely 10 hapnen.
While measures of legal force arc
| lacking tho President can of course
use moral force and anpeal to all the
| leaders of the contending factions to
/ come to the White House and find p
| common pround for settlement. This
move would be taken. howevo~ orlv as
a last resort as Mr.. Harding is urwill-
| inr to rive the impression that the
United States labor board is failure.
| Tie is more likely to advocate giving
the labor board greater powers. The
situation is drifting along dangerously.
ha,-n~or. with both sides conceding the
probability of a General strike. as not
! altogether removed.