Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-08-24
.0|NLY ELECTIONS
WORRY congress
aasndine Fcnces Engrosses
Members as Industrial
Crisis Grows
UNREST HALTING BUSINESS
IL. c1INToN W. GILBERT

s..1 correspondent Evening Psbiic LedRer
r.."r,oht, 1873. bv Public LEDGER Company
washington. Aug. 24.-So far as In
Aooted here. the failure of the latest
.hopmen's strike negotiations leaves
.ho Administration with no other policy
..on Tint declared In the Presidents
.ocont address to Congress, namely,
- enforce the law strictly and with
All favor for either side md give the
so,iroads chance to show whether
they can transport The coal which is
now being mined.
II is to be recalled that MIR. Hard
',nr said nothing to Congress about
wishinp to take over the railroads. or
sven The coal carrying railroads, and
II is not believed here that he has any
intention to carry out such q policy.
I The strike, In the judgment of the
hest Informed here. is being won by
the railroads. Even II the shopmen
should be taken back now, the union
would have lost prestige and probably
/ numbers. If the strike goes to fin
Will be seriously weakened, provided
Tho brotherhOods do not enter into the
contest hTe signs are that the broth
srhood chiefs regard the calling of the
shcpmen's strike as nnwise, and they
are ayerse to taking the risks that
would be involved In giving active sup
mort Individual tran operatives have
become less restve than they were a
short lime ago. perhaps being rcassured
by the Administration declared inten-
tion to enforce strictly the law against
taking out defective rolling stock.
Little to be Gained In, Finish Fight
u, So far, however, as victory of the
executives over the shopmen affects the
broader question which underlays the
strikes this year. the power of the
sreat national unions, little is to be
sained by fight to the finish. One
relatively weak union, rather unwisely
led, may be seriously set back, but the
more powerful railroad unions remain
unaffected. And the miners union is
left In stronger position than ever.
The public is being put to great ex-
pense and inconvenience for the sake
Of an inconsiderable result.
The failure of the conference in New
York demonstrates the difficulty which
President Harding faced in his efforts
to bring about industrial peace and
which he described so well in his
speech to Congress. The warfare on
the unions, which the President de-
!. precated, is being carried oy 80 bitterly
that to the controlling spirits among the
railroad executives even a small tacti-
cal victory SENS worth while. The
brotherhood chiefs who attempted in
New York to end the dispute could
bring more pressure upon the railrOad
executives than could the President Of
tho J'ntpd States
Business Eager for Settlement
At the same time the banking and
business interests were also pressing for
asettlement. The greater business men
ot the country saw nothing to be gained
that would be worth the cost of q pro-
tracted struggle. Yet the executives
remain rather solidly determined to fight
tout. Under such conditions as these,
with the laws remaining as they are,
no public authority exists sufficient to
bring about railroad peace. No Presi-
dent, no matter how fOrceful, in Mr..
Harding's place, could have accom-.
plished more than he has.
From Congress nothing is to be ex-
pected. Politically harmless legisla-
uon, like that providing for fact
hnding commission in the coal indus
Try. goes through easily enough. Every
body approves of 1t. 1t cannot become
an issue in the campaign.
Re. election Plans Engross Congress
Just now Congress is too engrossed
with the problem of it's own re- election
70 undertake serious consideration of
me relation of labor and capital. 1t
mas just forced the President to recede
from his demand for ship subsidy
Jaw because it fears that there are votes
10 be lost by action on the merchant
marine.
no great public gain will come from
w what the country has gone through.
Inc miners have demonstrated their
s1lldarity. The railroad workers have
shown their lack of solidarity. One
railroad union may be beaten, but the
victory of capital here Is more than
balanced by the success of labor in coal
mining The inadequacy of the Gov
Hnment to protect the public in an in
Sustrlal crisis has been confessed by its
eead: but nothing is going to be done