New Britain herald., 1922-08-02
REJECTED. GOOD.

ident Hardines plan for settlemeht
 of the rail strike. It Is we'll Unless
 1t may be admitted that the time has
 come when all ideals of honor must
 be abandoned in order to keep the
 country industrially at peace even
 super1cialy, there was no course for
 the heads of the railroads to pursue
 other than to reject proposal Whlc9
 would compel them to break their
 word and practically turn adrift men
 who relied on that word practically
 emphasized by the Railroad Labor
 Board Discredit the motives of the
 railway heads if one will; believe that
 they were not actuated by the desire
 to treat the old, loyal men and the
 new men who took strikers places
 fairly. insist that the rail heads see
 chance to destroy unonism-which. incid entally. they are too wise to
 believe possible-believe any of these
 things and still no fair minded man
 or woman. lacking knowledge of some
 mysterious matter which may alter the situation-vill fail to rejoice that
 they have refused to signify their willingness to abondon the men who
 stayed on the job and the men who came to work on the job.
 It has been emphasized in these columns that the only matter prevent ing settlement of the strike now IS the matter of senioriy rights, which was not one of the issues upon which. the men voted to strike or upon which the strike was called. In other words the strikers have practically said that the reasons for the strike exist no Ionger-never did, in fact exist They will go back to work it they are not penalized, as it was distinctly stated they would be penal ized, for doing something they had no grounds for doing This is what they say now. Meanwhile other men loyal gained rights promised them if they would remain loyal, and new men were induced to change their work, inspired by the prospect of the benefits to be derived from those promises, if not by higher motives. The plan has 2n suggested, offered, to take away those rights of the loyal men and the new men, and give them to the men who have practically con fessed that they had no business to do what they did.
 And let one thing be noted. The railroads would be compelled, under this plan, to dismiss new employees a majority of whom, it is authorita- lively stated, are ex- service men.
 The plan proposes to put out the ex-service men and put the strikers in their places. Consider thist well, those who insist that the seniority issue is not the main issue.
 The comments on the plan, made by students of public questions, indi- cate that they view the action in suggesting more in sorrow than in anger" It is unthinkable to many that the President of the United States should consider it necessary to make such a proposal. With full realizat ton of the terrible results that would follow crippling of the roads, and with a full appreciation of the fact that such cripplng may come if there is no settlement, they feel that even this would be better than an abandonment of all principle of right and justice, They view the situation much as they would view the neces- sity for war If it must come it must come, and they would rather personally suffer the consequences they will possibly suffer, than take the SLdnQ dCIuleSCtHCe III suCH d pldh would involve.
 Possibly the attitude of Secretary of Commerce Hoover, at the meeting of the rail heads where the plan was rejected, is significant possibly it is not. Those who admire Herbert Hoover would like to know his own, personal opinion on the matter. Certainly at that meeting, although he pleaded that seniority was not the main issue" he made it very plain that he was appearing for the Pres ident, and not for Herbert Hoover. One news account states: He SHoover) said that President Hard Ing being unable to attend the in person, had specified | exactly what he wanted said" The | same news account states that Mir. | Hoover talked for twenty minutes | and, as soon as he had finished his address he took taxicab to the 1 Station and returned to | MT. Hoover evidently | made no personal appeal. He did | >at come early and stay late and add !