The Washington times., 1922-08-19

private statewIILIAM HARD
Of mind. 1t corresponds in every
detail to the ideas which the
President expresses when he 10
talking to the people about him. not
as the President, but as Warren
Gamaliel Harding. This speech is
an honest, sincere speech which the
public will be justified in taking as
a totally reliable disclosure Of the
ideas and feelings~prevalent in the
White House.
II becomes really siZnifican nj
therefore that this speech contains
no request for putting any imne.
diate "eeth" into the Railroad Labor
Board and no request for empower.
ing the Administration to take
over" the railroads. In other
words, this speech does not propose
TO settle this railroad strike either
by any compulsory order from the
Railroad Labor Board or by any
even temporary Federal contral
and operation" Of railroads. Those
two methods are discarded. The
public may feel certain that II they
are discarded In the speech they
ALSO htaBN Loi ttC
moment-in the Presidents own
personal purpose.
We are therefore thrown back on
other methods. Only two other
methods are reasonably in order
The first IL the bringing OF prose
cutions in the Federal courts against
railroad executives and against rail
al lAAAA..
spiracies In restraint Of Interstate
commerce. The President In his
speech makes special mention of
this method and says that he intends
to use II. That IL, he says that he
intends to invoke the Sherman law
against "all offenders alike" But
this method-for a reason which is
not generally known-is likely tc
have scant success In producing any
immediate return Of the strikers &c
work.
am able to state that at the very
beginning OF this strike the union
strike leaders were to my knowledge
fully prepared to encounter con
spiracy prosecutions and fully pre-
pared to see to II that the strike
went straight along on during their
absence In court and perhaps in jail
They had told their men that prose
cutions were to be expected. They
had told their men that the Of
ficers Of shopcraft unions nigh,
have to go to Jail, and they had
schooled their men to the idea tina,
the rank and file of the membership
OF the unions would then have Il
continue the strike by their own
trained discipline.
The men were. and are, thoroughly
familiar with this idea. They are
thoroughly familiar also with tho
fact that II their strike management
committee Of ninety is sent to jai
there will be nobody at large who ID
authorised on their behalf to accept
a strike settlement. The strike vii
run wild. 1t will 60 straight on
down the track with nobody on board
to shut off steam. II will be exactly
like falling the engineer OF a loco
motive while the locomotive is In
motion.
In other words. the indicting and
falling OF Mr.. Jewell and his col
leagues would be a triumph for the
Sherman law, but II would not nee
essarily be a triumph for transpor
ton. The men would go back tC
work IL, by that time they were
starved out. They would not 60 bach
to work simply because the thins
had happened which at the very
start of the strike they expected Il
happen-namely. the disappearanc,
Of their leaders into Federal prisons
There then would be just one pos
sible method left. The President
having discarded the idea of a com
pulsory order from the Railroad
Labor Board, and having discarded
the idea of Federal control and
operation OF the railroads, and hav
ing failed to be able to coerce the
strikers by coercing their leaders
would be obliged to call for volun
teers to man the railroads In place
Of the strikers. This deducatior
would seem to lie clearly and mani
testify in the facts Of the case.
II is to be added. however, tina
getting Jailed might prove to be NOR,
intimidating to railroad executive.
than to labor leaders. Railroad exc
cutives are much less used to tn,
idea of that kind OF thing. wher
confronted with 1t, they might Civ,
in. That chance is TO be considered
II is being very hopefully considered
In Washington. But II that chanc,
fails, and II the strike does not seth,
itself by It's own internal efforts
then the course Of Governmental af
fairs today at washington can D,
logically said to be leading di
rectly toward private railroad opera
ton by public volunteers,
II the Kaiser scheming to regair