The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-08-24
RAIL TIEuP
AGAIN ISuP'
TO HARDING
President Must. Make the
Next Move, Law
renee Says.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

NoRy AA6AS, ASaS, W u0 al 6uc'(
Washington. D. c.. Aug. 2.-The
next move in the rail strike Is
President Harding's.
The collapse Of mediation on the
part Of the brotherhood chiefs and
the rail executives leaves the sit
uation exactly where it was when
Mr.. Harding yielded to an impulse
and allowed the disputants to try
settling the strike themselves This
effort has failed and the effect OF
it has been to strengthen the be-
lief of the rail executives that they
have the shopmen ION the I'm" and
that by persisting to the end they
will crush the resistance Of the
union leaders and force an abso-
lutte surrender.
There is no question that the
shopmen have been placed in the
position of begging for reinstate-
ment. The unanimity of the exec
utives in rejecting their pleas Ii
directly attributable to a feeling
that by showing a united front al
this time the rail executives would
be delivering a body blow at future
strikes.
Executives Rejoice.
But will the shopmen surrender
Will the brotherhoods allow.
crushing defeat to be administered
to unionism? Many Of the rail ex'
ecutives think it inevitable and are
secretly rejoicing over the out
come. They are hoping MIR. Hard
ing will do nothing at this time t.
spoil what appears to them mos
favorable situation.
Unfortunately there are signs O
a determination on the part Of the
shopmen to carry matters to the ex
treme and to involve, in SO far a!
they can, the other railway organ
izations. Already the interstate
commerce commission in an ofhcia
report to the president, has report
| ed on the defective equipment OF
American railroads and the train
men have on more than one occa
sion used that as an excuse for re
fusing to run trains. Their mis-
take was in stopping traffic abrupt
ly and without warning to the pas
sengers. The question of whethe
the brotherhoods will announce
complete walkout on a specifics
date unless the shopmen's strike i
settled is quite another phase
the matter. They could. it the
chose, use the interstate report an
the continuance of the shopmen'
strike as an excuse for such tao
tics.
Won't Permit Tieup.
President Harding, however, wi
not permit transportation to b
tied up. His message to congres
contained the significant statemer
that he possessed power unde
existing statutes to prevent intel
ference with transportation an
there is every reason to believ
Mr.. Harding would use the powe
by securing the Indictment and al
rest Of any persons suspected {
giving orders to tie up transport;
ton.
Mr.. Haf fding. however, is bein
urged to try his hand again at m'
diation. The proposal OF the "a
executives to Mr.. Harding a wee
ago was much more favorable I
the strikers than was the rep
handed the brotherhoods in Ne
York on Wednesday. As the neg
tiations drag out the executive
feeling the strength Of their pos
ton and their greater powers
endurance, are going back to the
original position Of a free hand
dealing with the seniority questio
Under these circumstances maj
, people in the administration circ
are of the opinion that the strike
made a strategic error when ths