The New York herald., 1922-01-28
Another SpineIes. Strike Board.

exclaimed 1T won't work."
Another Spineless Strike Board.
Senator KENYoN's proposed ma
tional board to settle disputes in the
coal industry without strikes or lock-
outs is patterned after the very defec-
tive United States Railroad Labor
Board. The railroad board has no
teeth; neither would the coal board
have any teeth. Its findings merely
would be published and left for en-
forcement to public opinion.
But public opinion has never had
any audible voice in the rough and
ready quarrels of the coal industry
and probably will not be able to make
itself heard in that quarter for many
day with anything less than the
strong arm of Government knocking
for order.
In the vsry nature of things the
average coal mining districts are far
removed geographically from the rest
Of the public. Miners do not know
what the country Is saying about
them and might not care II they did
know. In many of the great bitumi-
nous districts they resort to actual
warfare and fight fierce and long con-
tinued battles with the mine opera
tors, strikebreakers, sheriffs and even
State troops. Men who do not yield
readily to local rides and militia
rapid fire guns cannot be expected to
bow meekly to opinions or proclana-
tions by civil boards with no power
behind them to put their decisions
into effect.
Senator KENYON declares that the
Kansas Industrial Court, with Its
State power Of enforcement. is
failure. That may be, or perhaps 1t
would be better to say it has not
yet proved 1t is a success. But GER
tainly the United States Railroad
Labor Board has not proved itself a
success.
On the contrary, its own members
say it is not. BEN HOOPER, the member
who is credited with having induced
the railroad unions to withdraw
their strike orders last autumn, Is
going the rounds Of the country now
explaining to the public what is the
matter with the law which created
the United States Railroad Labor
Board. He iterates and reiterates
that it's weakness is that the law says
it shall" investigate, it shall sum-
mon, 1t shall" discuss, &C. But
when it comes to doing something
in earnest to stop a strike or lock-
out and to save the public from In
Jury and suffering the law stops
saying SHALL" 1t says the board
may" tell its opinion-and that Is
all it says.
This is the sort OF spineless au-
thority Senator KENYON would set
up in the coal industry-the author
ity which "shall" do anything and
everything except the single, saving
thing that means business-that al
ways does mean business when the
United States Government says 1t
will or SHALL"
Such an authority as the Kenyon
proposal is not quite good enough
for any industrial situation only
mildly threatening the welfare Of the
public. It is not within miles Of be-
ing good enough for a coal strike
situation charged with high explo-
sives and gravely menacing the In
dustrial life Of communities and
even Of the nation.
II the United States Government
cannot put enforcing power into its
measures to protect the public from
the evils and dangers Of strikes and
lockouts nationwide in their destruc-
tive consequences It would better
leave the unions and the railroads
or the coal mines or other essential
industries to fight it out when either
side will not listen to reason from
the other.
II Senator KENYON is to wear the
mantle Of leadership Of the great
insurgent forces now occupying the
front Of the stage he will have to
show himself possessed Of sterner
stuff than is indicated by his pro-
posed coal board.
The new farm bloc move for a sep