Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-03
III DAY OF THE
BOOMERANG.

THE boomerang Is a weapon OF
i offensive warfare used by GER
tain uncivilized tribes. One pecul-
iarity of this weapon is that when
unskillfully thrown it is very apt
to rebound and smash the skull of
the thrower. Hence we have the
political boomerang. Attorney
General Daugherty threw n the
other day in a political speech in
Ohio. Nearly ali the cabinet of
ficers of President Harding and
the big guns among the political
orators of the republican party are
in Ohio just now. Apparently the
administration is scared of a de-
feat there which would be taken
as a terrible slam at the admins
tration, it being his W home
state. Hence all the big guns OF
the republican party have opened
fire on the democrats IN OHIO.
Among them Attorney General
Daugherty is stumping the state,
and telling his hearers that the
United States just barely escaped
civil war by his action in securing
a nation wide injunction against
the striking railroad shopmen. That
assertion is so far from the truth
that it naturally challenged lt1ne-
date attention from the democrats.
II is true that there was some law
less acts on the part OF striking
shoprnen here and there, but tar
less than is usually the case IN a
big nation wide strike. 1t may be
true that a few or hundred
/. w. w. radicals hoped to use the
strike for revolutionary purposes,
as they hope to use all strikes tor
that purpose, but the statement
that civil war threatened and war
only averted by Daugherty IS the
worst sort of political bunk, and IN
this case a boomerang besides. It
is met by this reply from Wash
ington and from the democratic
speakers in Ohio:
Attorney General Daugherty's
assertion in the course OF a poiifi-
cal speech at Canton, Ohio, that IN
obtaining a federal injunction
against the striking shopmen he
saved the country from the grip
of war" raises several important
questions concerning his w and
President Harding's action in on
nection with the strike,
IF civil war threatened the coun-
try when Attorney General Daugh-
erty got the injunction why didn't
he or President Harding inform
congress and the people at the
time President Harding ad-
dressed congress on the subject OF
the strike on August Is, 1e22-Jus'
IL days before Mr.. Daugherty OBJ,
tanned his injunctive writ.
Either Mr.. Harding and Mr.
Daugherty then knew of this, met
ace of civil war or they didn,'
know it. IF Mr.. Daugherty was
aware of this plot and plan to ov
erthrow the government he care
fully concealed his knowledg'
from the public until the certain
ty of republican defeat in Ohit
nromuted him to reveal it. If Mr.
Harding had cognizance of thu
imminent civil war" on Angus
1s. 1922. he also withheld any hin
of it from members of congress Il
the very act of pretending to en-
tighten them on the situation,
Nowhere in President Harding
address to congress on the subJec
Of the coal and rail strikes is Their
a SYLLABLE or intimation that h
knew or believed or feared that
civil war" was threatened b,
strikers or anyone else. On tn
contrary, Mr.. Harding used tn
word STRIKES" in referring to tn
conflicts between coal miners an
their employers and between tn
railroad workers and their employ
ers:: he made no mention OF civ
war or any other sort OF war Q
that occasion.
Speaking of the alleged lawiess
ness Of certain strikers. Preslder
Harding said:
"At no time has the federal go,
eminent been unready or un"iiiif'
to give its support to maintain la
and order and restrain violence
but in no case has state autf1orlt
r~onfessed its inability to cope WI
The situation and asked for FEEDER;
assistance"
Later in the same address M
Harding said:
1T is not my thought to as