The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-08-11
The Strikes and
the Country

heSltancy and uncertainty, contradle-
tory attitudes, have marked every
statement and every move, the admin
istraticn appearing to be swayed by
any and every adviser that got its ear.
At this writing Fuel Administrators
have been appointed, which cannot be
interpreted as anything but surren-
der before defeat. The American peo-
pie must regard with chagrin the fee
BILE hands that grope and tumble
around the nations helm.
The Government itself is "in wrong,
to begin with. It was with Govern
ment approval that the railway work
ers, wages werel lowered whin it was
absolutely certain that such an act
would precipitate a strike and a tie
up. An agency Of the Government I'M
dertook to do the dirty work of the
railway owners, to give corporation
act the aspect Of Government edict,
and now that the strike has come,
there are United States officials silly
enough to say it is a strike against
the Government! Committed to the
railway owners side of the wage dis
putes, the Administration must back
up its folly, or repent--and repent
ance is about the last thing to expect
in affairs of this kind.
And not the Administration only,
but the associated powers Of wealth
and exploitation must share the very
serious responsibility. There is no
doubt at all that this strike is part
and parcel of the process of debating
labor" which was begun so deliberate
ly and carried on so heartlessly at the
close of the war. It is even now be-
ing whispered across the country, as
kind of secret campaign argument,
that manufacturers-especially manu-
facturers-must be patient with the
present destructive situation because
it is only part of "the program of put
! ting labor where it belongs" 1t is
openly charged in various reports in
the hands of the President that these
strikes were desired by the owners of
railroads and mines. The strikes were
desired by the railroad owners because
they would encourage by fair means
or foul the government purchase of
the roads. And the strikes were de-
sired by the mine owners because of
an intollerable condition which has
been fastened on coal mining. The
railroads are so decrepit that even
Wall Street has discarded them in ia
vor of the movies, as investment prop
ositions. Coal mining has been so
separated from the public by brok-
erage system that only drastic read
ljustment can be of any use.
In both of these instances, however,
I L. ,so4, - l.
The time for Government to act is
before the catastrophe, to prevent it.
The Administration had full knowl-
edge and ample warning Of what was
to occur; it knew the protest of the
railway workers uttered at the time
la Government agency was busy
slashing $600'000'000 off the workers,
annual income; it knew the situation
with regard to coal; yet not by one
act of forethought or one step toward
prevention did it seek to forestall
what it clearly saw would occur, and
what it must have known the enemies
of labor dearly desired to occur. No
amount of tardy buster and fiuster
will make up for that.
In the railway matter the wages Of
the men must be put back The strike
is wrong. but the men are right. Rail-
way management has made its last
confession of absolute failure when it
takes its working capital out of the
pay envelopes of the men: The sal
walton of the railroads does not lie in
that direction. Reduction of wages
and increase Of rates is certain sui
eide. Reduction of rates, increase in
the quality of the service and higher
wages are the guarantees of railroad
prosperity. Minds of the old order
cannot see that, but it is the truth of
railroading.
And when the service is resumed,
the Administration will have no right
to light a cigar, sit back and congrat-
plate itself. Settling strike doesn't
mean anything any more. Too many
strikes have been settled without
touching the sources of the strike.
The annual cho1ings of the nations
life have been intended by certain
concealed forces as rehearsals for a
final choking which should inaugurate
national struggle for life. Strikes
grow more numerous and threatening
every year, not because labor grows
more threatening or less American,
but because each succeeding strike has
a deeper alien fringe around it and is
signal for the activity of Bolshevik
and anarchist groups that are not re-
lated to the strike at all. These lat
ter come out under cover of the
strike season and spread their poison
And each year they find their pros
poets better. The Administration has
been so busy with Russia that it has
had little time to give to America.
Who is it, anyway, that is so inter
ested in keeping our national eyes ov-
erseas when they should be scrutin-
izing affairs at home?
AS to the coal situation, the condi.
tions of coal mining are and always
have been a disgrace to civilized
people. We have enjoyed our coal at
too great cost of flesh and blood.
We have permitted our public press to
degrade the name of miner until it
means little less than outlaw. We
have forgotten that the best of the
British stock comprise the bulk of our
mining Irish, Welsh and
Scotch--men whose minds are fit soil
for the seeds of liberty and Christian
justice. We have thought, because