Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-07-11
ED TO RIAL.
COMMENCING THE PREsIDEN'

president Harding will be com
mended by most citizens, we be-
lieve, for his courageous announce
ment that the strong arm Of the gov
eminent will be employed, if neces-
sary, to keep the mail trains running
in spite of the strike of railway shop
men, and for the protection of life
and property and the preservation of
law and order What the public is
interested in most following the dec
laration is in his performances neces-
sary to make good. The spectacle
of the recent murders of non-union
coal miners at Herrin, Ill, is still
fresh before their eyes, with no
knowledge of the slightest move by
any government agency to see that
these murders are punished or that
they will not be repeated, astound
ing as they were and shocking to the
senses of the average disinterested
citizen. Whether we shall have a
similar occurrence in the shopmens
strike, in which incipient mob dis
orders already have taken place in
some centers, remains to be seen, in
the face Of the governments an
nouncement of policy.
This is not discussion of the mer-
its or dement's of the railroad dis
pute, nor an attempt to place the
blame for the walkout or to discuss
who is wrong and who rigE.. The
railroad men and their sgmpathizers
in the present controversy justify
the walkout by the statement that
the railroad labor board did not force
the railroad executives to live up to
its ruling and orders regarding the
farming out of shop work. Which
probably is true. At least, it is gen
orally conceded that the boards rul-
ings on this point were violated.
BUT-and here is the great point
Up to the time of the walkout
of the men this was a controversy
between the men and the roads, or
between the men and the board on
the one hand and the managers on
the other It was entirely a private
dispute, or one of law so far as the
effect on the public was concerned,
and one which could be handled as
such. But the minute the men walk
ed out in defiance of the orders OF
the railroad labor board, court act
up by authority of law-which is the
authority of the people-it became a
controversy between the men and the
public, and in dispute between a mi
nority and the great majority consti'
tuting the general public the interests
of the public are always paramount
That is why we commend the presl'
dent for declaring that the mai
trains must operate, strike or nc
strike, and in that declaration he has
the backing of most of the 10000,
goo people who constitute our great
country. The shopmen have griev
ances, undoubtedly, What organlza
ton has not? The average either
has sore grievances. also. There
are. orderly ways to handle those
grievances. But the day has passed
when our national transportation
system can be allowed to be para
lived by dispute between manager
and workers and that the vast mil
lions of disinterested citizens anC
great industries other than railroad
made to suffer while two disputant
try to wear each other down.
The American people are fair
minded when tiley are adequately in
formed, and can be depended upon t.
see that ultimate justice is done i
the parties to dispute Of this o.
anv other kind in which the public
is directly affected will see that i
is informed with the facts instead Of
propaganda. But they have no patti
ence with national strikes, and sucl
events only tend to prejudice tbs
minds of the people against thos'
who bring them about.
The shopmen of Americas wh6 arr
on strike are to be heartily commend
ed for their high mindedness anC
respect for law and order The!
have repeatedly declared that there
will be no disorders here during The
! strike, and the people of this com