Middletown transcript., 1922-08-05
SATURDAY, AUGUST S, 1922
THE DOUBLE STRIKE PERIL

THE DOUBLE STRIKE PERIL
TT is to be feared that the President
= has been too conservative in dealing
with this double strike situation. coal
and rail also, that has already damaged
the business interests of the whole
country, and is putting in grave peril
the health and lives of all the citizens.
There has been too much discussion and
parleying both with the strikers and the
operators, with the railroad employees
and the rail officials. Much valuable
time has been lost thereby.
Roosevelt would have met with light
ning-like swiftness the present crisis,
and discussed details afterwards.
When your house is burning over your
head you don't refer the question to
committees but turn on the water
streams. Then is no time to debate
fine questions of procedure, but to put
the fire out before the house burns
down.
The coal shortage has already done
great damage to business by closing
many mills and manufacturing plants in
every part of the country, besides
hampering rail transportation. The
President admits the peril of fuel
shortage this coming winter, and 50 ap-
points Committee to ration the Goa
as was done in the late war.
No coal dug since April 1st, and the
railroads badly crippled since July 1st,
and in all this time much palaver, State
and National, but little action prevent
i've or remedial. Perhaps it was best
to await these slow governmental pro-
cesses, yet one cannot help believe that
an executive accustomed to taking
prompt and decisive measures would
ere this have had things in much better
shape, certainly would in four months
have taken measures to make imposs
BILE the terrible calamity of Goa
famine next winter. If few labo
madmen can imperil not only the bust
ness but the health and lives of ITO,
900, 900 people, with no remedy unde
the law, then the Government of thi
great Nation has surrendered it's func
tions into the hands of the mob Ii
fact, these two strikes are bold chal
lenge of the very Government itself,
challenge that should long before thi
have been met and throttled.
Many see in these two strikes of tn
miners and the railroad employees a con
spiracy to coerce through intimidation
violence and murder the granting O
their joint demands. Some even su
pect the greedy. profiteering coal opei
ators of promoting the strikes.
The incendiary language of some G
the labor leaders, Gompers, Lewis an
others, is nothing short of downright
treason, that Cleveland or a Roose
welt would have instantly rebuk &c
That Englishman Gompers, has the pre-
sumption to scoff at the Courts, eve
boasting he will not obey the DEGREES 9
the highest tribunal in the land, the ST
preme Court of the United States
This impudent spouting of treason me-
its but one answer--the mailed fis
quick and hard. Gompers and fe'
more deserve to be shipped out of tn
country just as were those anarchist.
Emma Goldman and the assassin Berl
man.
The President has done many admit
able things; often acted with wise d.
cisiveness and, moreover, showed hin
self in favor of a militant Americanisl
that mercilessly represses the crazy
wicked, foreign propaganda of Hun an
Bolshevik emissaries seeking the de
struction of the Republic.
But we regret to admit that he ha
shown structural weakness" in failin
to act with prompt and courageous de
cision in this great national crisis. A
though the strikers have flouted hi
authority and that Of the Boards create
by law to settle these matters, and re
fused all proffers to mediate the diff
n culties, and even have resorted to vic
lence and murder, the President weakl
makes plea that these wrongdoers b
given again their forfeited rights o
seniority
To grant this were to put a premium
upon violation of law and contract
The railroad executives, who by vot
of 285 to 2 refused to restore these for
feited rights and penalize those work
ers who remained loyal to their duty
are right, eternally right, and the who'll
country will uphold their righteou
stand.