Evening star., 1922-08-02
Labor Board Power,
Recognized, Opens
Path to Peace.
SENIORITY DECISION
WOULD BE BINDING
President Has Leverage
in Executives Pledge
to Gain Submission.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

| ~ Vail OuO1149S1OAs
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
President Harding does not consider
the reply Of the railway executives an
| insuperable barrier to a settlement of
| the strike. The important fact to be
borne in mind is that the railroads
have agreed to the first point in the
compromise, namely that they will
| recognize and obey the decisions of
the United States Railroad Labor
Board. Bound by that pledge they
cannot therefore refuse to obey such
decision as the board may make in the
future on the mooted question of
seniority rights.
In other words the President has the
leverage now to require the railroads
to submit to the labor board the
settlement Of the seniority problem.
T. De Witt Cuyler, head Of the rail-
road executives, would have preferred
that procedure and so told Mr.. Hard
ing last week at the White House.
Mr.. Cuyler didn't see how the rail-
! roads publicly could reverse them
selves. Mr.. Harding insisted, how
them and believed public opinion
would compel the executives to an
nounce their acceptance. Mr. Cuyler
promised to outline the Presidents
viewpoint.
Situation Not Hopeless.
Most unexpected, therefore. to Mr..
Harding, is the answer which the
be called discouraging. The situa-
tion is by no means as hopeless as 1T
may appear on the surface. For one
thing, the President cannot conceive
that the railroads. who have been so
severely criticising the shop crafts
men for striking against the gov
ernment, can turn around now and
ignore the governments proposal for
a settlement. Wouldn't they be strik-
ing against the government. too! lis
the question asked in official quarters
But to understand what Is coming
one must read carefully the text of
| the reply of the railroad executives.
1t will be noted that. while the chair
Labor Board is quoted extensively as
| having contended that the strikers
| had forfeited their seniority rights,
| the labor board itself did not pledge
itself irrevocably to that position
Way Out Still Open.
Ali that the resolution OF the labor
| board embraces Is a statement tnst
tion and have the right to work.
Nowhere is there a definite decision
| of the board that the strikebreakers
shall be given seniority rights over
forfeited them. This paves the way
for consideration without prejudice
of the whole problem by the labor
board
Mr Harding. of course, expected a
complete acceptance by the raiiroao
and until he had that his strategy
was necessarily one Of silence. IL
the White House modified its position
on seniority before the workers
could take formal action on tne com, CON,
by President Harding such course
might interfere with the acceptance
by the union representatives OF the
plan itself and further complicate
the situation. An acceptance from
one party is a powerful infieunce in
any strike crisis. If 1t should oe,
come necessary to modify the third
point in the proposal to the enect
| that the seniority question be lell
| TO national arbitration board or
| some other impartial tribunal so as
| to afford the railroads graceful
way to recede, the government
nosition as a mediator would be
| strengthened
Men May Go Back Soon.
! The rail strike may therefore be
said to be near an end, and even
| though the maneuvers by which II is
to be terminated are taking much
| longer time than was anticipated py
| the chief executive and his associates.
| there is every reason to be conndent
! that presidential influence Will settle
F, the strike and send the men back to
/ work before many days have passed.
The railroads are really sparring ior
position in the future. The omcial
view here is that they have made
\ nj hill IN
realized. too. that the interviews
given by officials Of the Railway
Labor Board in the heat of the con-
troversy were ill-advised. and that
but for some Of those utterances a
formula of settlement through the
board itself now would be a matter
of history. The President knows that
| while the seniority question has al
! ways been troublesome in strikes, IL
rarely has happened that the strik-
ers forfeited those rights in the last
/ analysis.
The strikers are experienced work
ers and they are more numerous than
! those who have remained at work
By the usual processes of elimination
| they come to the top notwithstand-
ing their participation in strike.
Both to Obey Board.
! The question narrows down to this:
| The labor board chairman, aroused
| by the refusal of the workmen to
| obey a summons from him and to
| recognize a decision OF the board.
| made a public statement saying the
strikebreakers would have rights
| which could not be ignored by the
| board. Now. however. since the
| strikers are ready to recognize the
labor boards decisions. should the
penalty of their earlier refusal be
| made permanent? No such severe
punishment was handed the railroads
for violating labor board decisions,
and that's why the government here.
through President Harding. wants
bygones to be considered as bygones
| and the main issue kept in mind
the workers have agreed to obey the
future decisions of the board and
the managers have pledged them
| selves to do likewise.
| (Copyrieht 1872