The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-08-04
THE STRIKE.

TIC u
railroad strike did not materiallze.
It could not in the nature of the
case be consummated, that is, it
could not on the settlement propos-
ed by the President.
The settlement proposed by Pres
ident Harding contained three stip-
ulations; the first provided that both
the strikers and the railroads should
bind themselves to respect the de-
cisions of the Labor Board; the Sec
ond provided for a rehearing of the
cases by the Labor Board and the
dismissal of all pending actions
growing out of the strike; while the
third provided that the striking shop
men should be restored to their
places with seniority rights unim-
paired.
The shopmen have accepted the
conditions as outlined. The railroad
executives announced their willing
ness to accept the two first of the
conditions, but refused to accede to
the last. In so refusing the railroads
stand on solid ground. When the
strike was announced the railroads
promised the men then in their
employ who remained that they
would be advanced in seniority
rights, and they made like promises
to new men who came in to take
the places of the strikers. These
promises constituted a part of the
contract with all of these men, and
whether the contract was wisely
made or not, need not now be con-
sidered. 1t is a contract and the
terms of the contract and zone Of
them may be disregarded by any
man of morals nor by any railroad
company without subjecting itself to
innumerabHe actions at law for dam
ages on account of the breach of the
contract.
President Harding, it seems to us
shows up at a disadvantage in asking
the railroads to disregard their a.
greements with the faithful men who
stuck to their jobs and to the new
men who have taken the places of
those who quit their jobs. If he real
lied that his business is to command
the peace to the extent that every
man and every corporation be given
a chance to perform his or its du-
ties to the public instead of trying
to make votes for himself and his
party by undertaking to make a set
Element which will be satisfactory
both to the railroads and the strik-
ers, leaving the public with the bur-
den to bear, he would come nearer
complying with his oath of office.
His actions and the actions of those
with him are typihed by his bench
man Ben w. Hooper of the Labor
Board. Pretending to be a member
of a court to decide controversies,
, the latter renders his decision and
then runs around the country like
an Abbeville County vote solicitor
offering this and the other induce
ment to get the two sides to support
him. Naturally the people have about
as much respect for his decisions as
they do for those of the baseball
umpire when he decides against the
home team.
We think the strike will settle it.
self within two weeks if the officers
of the law will do their duty. The
threat of the president to put the
railroads in the hands of receivers
because they do not run their trains,
when the reason they do not run
their trains is because the president
does not command the peace, is
about in limo with tho n~ronoca1 Of
the president that the railroads
break their contracts with the men
who are now helping to run the rail-
roads.
We contend that the only obliga-
ton of the president is to see that
the law is obeyed and the railroads
be kept running, and that he has
nothing to do with what employees
are engaged to run them. Fhat may