The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1922-08-24

any possible employment in inter
state shipments.
"The public menace in the coal sit
uation was made more acute and more
serious at the beginning of July by
the strike of the federated shops crafts
in the railroad service-a strike against
a wage decision made by the railroad
labor board, directly affecting approx
mately 100000 men. The justice of
the decision is not for discussion here
The decision has been lost sight of
in subsequent developments.
"The railroad labor board was Gre
ated by Congress for the express
purr" hearing and deciding dis
put N the carriers and their
err thateno controversy need
lee interruption in interstate
trr \ On.
81 nevitoble that many wage
disputes should arise. 1t was newt
able that some readj stments should
follow. Naturally these readiustments
were resisted. The administrative gov
eminent only held that the labor board
was the lawful agency of the govern
ment to hear and decide disputes and
its authority must be sustained. This
must be so, whether the carriers or the
employees ignore-fts decisions.
Carriers Ignored Orders.
"Unhappily a number of decisions
of this board had been ignored by the
carriers. In only one instance, how
ever, had decision challenged by a
carrier, been brought to the attention
of the departmental justice, and this
decision has recently been sustaind
in the federal court of appeals. The
public or the executive had no knowl-
edge of the ignored decisions in other
cases. When these failures of many
of the carriers to abide by decisions
of the board were brought to my at
tention, I could more fairly appraise
the feeling of the strikers, though they
had a remedy without seeking to
paralyz interstate commerce.
in the tentative proposals which l
sponsored, it was provided that every
body should go to work, with seniority
rights unimpaired, that there should
be no discrimination by either work
men or carriers against workmen who
did or did not strike. l realized that
the proposal must carry a disappoint-
ment to employees who had inherited
promotion by staying loyalty on the
job, and to such new men as had
sought jobs looking to permanent en-
ployment, but I wanted the fresh start
and maintained transportation service
and appraised the disappointment of
the few to be less important than the
impending misfortune of the nation.
II believe this matter Of transcend
ent Importance was the acceptance of
the proposal to respect the labor
boards decisions.
"The proposal was rejected by the
carriers. This left the government on
ly one course-to call the striking
workmen to return to work to call the
carriers to assign them to work, and
leave the dispute about seniority to
VIC AoooA podAu IO1 uSCAS1UH. men
negotiation or mediation fails. the gov
eminent can have no chart for its
course except the law.
Calls Return to Work.
ITO this call majority of the car
riers responded favorably, proposing
to re-employ all strikers except those
guilty Of violence against workmen or
property, to restore the striking work
men to their old positions where va
cant or to like positions where vacan-
cics are filled; questions of seniority
to go to the labor board for decision
This proposal has not been accepted.
"Thus the narrative brings us to the
present moment, but it has not includ-
ed the developments which have
heightened the governments concern
Sympathetic strikes have developed
here and there, seriously impairing
commerce, deserted transcontinental
trains in the desert regions of the
southwest have revealed the cruelty
and contempt for law on the part of
some railway employees and Violence in
a hundred places have revealed the
failure of the striking unions to hold
stheir forces to law observance. Men
who refused to strike and risked their
lives to serve public need have been
cruelty attacked and wounded or kill.
| ed. Men seeking work and guards at.
tempting, to protect lives and proper.
/ ty, even officers of the federal govern.
ment have been assaulted, Inundated
and hindered in their duties. There