The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-08-15
EACH SIDE IGNORES
HARD|NG'S POWER
Know That Congress Will
Take No Effective Ac-
ton During Election
PRESIDENT STICKS
TO FINAL PROPOSAL
Railways Must Take Strikers Back to
Former POsitions--Cannot Allow Con-
tinuatfon of Fight-May Force Unions
to Settlement.

10 SettleutHt.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
(SpeciaI Dispatch to The Reformer.)
Copyright 1922.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 15.-President
Harding considers the reply of the rail
road executives to his latest peace pro-
posaI to be eminently satisfactory. He
will not bulge an inch from this position
and no matter what happens in the crisis
now developing the President will insist
upon his proposal being accepted by the
shopmen 1t is the final compromise.
namely, that the railways take back the
strikers and give them their former posi-
tions where vacancies exist or other jobs
at the same pay they formerly received if
/ their old positions have been filed.
Mr.. Harding feels that the situation
has reached grave point. The union
i leaders have told him they would bring
the executives to their knees within a
week. This means a spread of the trans
portation tienp and more suffering to the
public VIII the President permit it:
| The chief difficulty in answering that
question is the fact that both railway
executives and union leaders do not
| think MIR. Harding has the power to
/ They know, as does Mr.. Harding, that a
/ request of congress for specific power
would mean endless delay as elections
are approaching and members are un
willing to get into the labor controversy
But in the absence of real show OF
| authority the strike will continue indef
| niteiy That's why the next move in the
situation inevitably involves coercion
The telegram sent by the attorney gen
eral to Needles, of California, the text o.
| which was published Sunday morning, il
| significant. Mr.. Daugherty pointed on
! to the United States district attorney
that they could prosecute any person
guilty of conspiracy TO interrupt inter
state commerce. The foundation for hi
telegram is the famous act of 1890 known
as the Sherman antitrust law.
May Get Them by Law.
1t is a broad statute and makes it
crime for anyone to conspire with anyon
else to interrupt interstate commerce.
has been used chiefly to prevent monopo
lies in production which are in restrain
of trade, yet il embraces any act whic
tends TO restrain commerce. Labo
unions have always felt sensitive abou
this law. They tried under the Tai
administration and succeeded under tn
Wilson administration in persuadin
congress to pass a law exempting fund
appropriated for antitrust prosecution
to be used against labor unions and the
had as their allies in that fight farmer,
organizations as well.
Little doubt prevails in the minds {
government lawyers that the act of 1S9
could be used in an emergency TO secur
indictments against carriers or unto
leaders who may have been guilty {
conspiracy to restrain interstate con
merce. Such a show of authority, it
! contended, might suffice in itself to brin
peace in the rail strike and might estal
fish once and for all the principle tha
while individuals may have a right {
strike they cannot combine to cause
strike on transportation systems Ell
t gagged in interstate commerce.
Can't Allow Fight to Continue.
: Mr.. Harding cannot allow the raj