Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-09-09
Information at Hand Shows
That Condition of Equip
ment Is Far Worse Than
Public Imagines
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
ueased Wire Service to The Journal.)
lCopyright.. 1921

Copyright, 1929
WASHINGTON, Sept. S.-The fed
eral government is in possession of
positive information that the condi-
ton of equipment on the railroads
Of the country is much worse than
the public imagines and at the proper
time will bring forth the evidence as
basis of action.
The injunction process begun by
Attorney General Daugherty against
the strike leaders is in its infancy.
He intends to proceed in due time
against the railroads who may be
violating the transportation act or
the regulations of the interstate COM
merce commission with respect to
equipment.
AS for the temporary injunction
already obtained by the attorney gen.
eral it is significant that strong op.
position is coming from an entirely
expected quarter-namely certain
rail executives known as "irrecon-
cilables." They and others who
sympatEize with them are CRITICS
ing the injunction on the ground that
it abridges free speech but their real
feeling is that the government has
interviewed at the wrong time and
has brought about a situation which
will permit the strikers to bow to
the federal government instead of
to the railway executives.
Defects in Petition
1t is true that there are defects in
the temporary injunction and no one
will be more eager. to see them cor.
rected by the court next Monday
than the attorney general but the
interesting phase of the matter Is
the vigorous criticism which has been
made in quarters where the desire
Of railway executives that labor lead.
ers have free speech is about as en-.
thusiastic as their fondness for the
unions themselves.
What certain rail executives fear
and their viewpoint has by No
means been concealed-is that the
unions will capitulate to the govern
ment. They feel they have the
strike beaten, and if the truth be
known many officials in the govern
ment believe it, too. But as one
member of the cabinet expressed it,
the government is mot intere I'd
in whether the effect of it's action
is to crush unions or help unions,
but to get transportation" ......
The attorney general acted be.
cause he and the president came to
the conclusion that sabotage on the
railroads had to cease and that the
injunction process would stop it. The
reports received since the injunc.
ton was issued-namely, quieting
down of the situation generally-are
pointed to as justification of the
step taken. The government wants
coal moved-it could not permit in
reference. 1t will now insist on
performance by the railroads. The
injunctions are expected to prevent
striking shopmen from preventing
willing workers from repairing rail-
road equipment.
The Exact Situation
If with the protection Of the
courts, workers cannot be secured
and equipment continues bad, the
next step will be restraining orders
they cannot operate trains because
Of the governments injunctions
against the use of defective equip
ment, seizure of the coal-carrying
roads is contemplated.
That's the situation as rumors of
peace fill the air. At the point of
origin it is found that numerous adj
justments between individual roads
and striking shopmen are being ne
gotiated. Whether these adjust.
ments will be sufficient to give the
country adequate transportation for
its fuel nobody in the governmc
knows, but the inclination is to be-
lieve that the die hards" in the
railway executive group will not per-
NIT a settlement until they have
forced their victory. clear to the
hilt.