Evening star., 1946-05-26
EXECUTIVE Urges
Criminal Law for
Acts Against U.S..
BA Joseph A. Fox
(Tert o; Presidents Address on
Page AS.

The rail strike, which for two
days tied the country in knots,
collapsed as suddenly as it had
begun late yesterday afternoon.
Recalcitrant trainmen and en-
gineers yielded under an attack
by President Truman even as he
went before Congress to seek
legislation that would outlaw
strikes in industries where labor
troubles have provoked Govern
ment seizure and operation.
Aroused by the stoppages on the
rails and in the coal fields which
have forced the Government to
take over, the President, appearing
before a joint session of Senate and
House, asked for temporary legisla-
ton that would permit induction
into the armed forces of "all work.
ers who are on strike against their
Government" and provide criminal
penalties for both employers and
employees seeking to interfere with
Federally-operated industry.
'The Congress of the United
States, and I, the President of the
United States. must work together
and we must work fast, the grim
faced Missourian told a cheering
audience in the House chamber
Announces End of Strike.
Midway In the speech he halted,
as a note was handed to him on the
Speakers stand. He looked up from
the reading.
Word has just been received that
the railroad strike has been settled
on the terms proposed by the Pres
ident," Mr.. Truman announced.
The Presidents erstwhile associ-
ates in Congress. and visitors in the
galleries, where Mrs. Truman and
their daughter Margaret sat, rose
and applauded.
The end of the rail strike repre-
sented only a partial victory for the
President, however, as the termina-
ton of the strike truce in the soft
coal mines was less than eight hours
away, with no signs of a break"
Compromise Plan.
The basis of the settlement was
a compromise plan offered by Mr.
Truman, and accepted by 18 brother
hoods-but rejected by the two
which LAUGHED the strike. 1t provides
for a pay raise of 16 cents an hour
retroactive to January l; an addi-
tional boost of 21a effective two days
ago, and no change in rules for a
year. The 16 cents was in the orig
inal offer of a fact-finding board
that the trainmen and engineers re-
fused; the 21a was in lieu of a long
list of rule changes sought by the
unions. The board had recommended
several new rules, whose benefits
now presumably will be lost to the
strikers.
The President went to the Capitol
at o'clock-the deadline he had
set in his broadcast to the Nation
Friday night for ending of the
strike-or Army operations of the
railroads.
Served Notice of Weapon.
In that speech, he had served
notice, also, that Congress would be
asked to provide legislative weap-
on to deal with "the emergency,
but there had been no hint of the
terms to be proposed, whose severity
was moderated only by the fact that
they would remain in force for but
six months after formal declaration
of the end of the war emergency.
Along with these Temporary
emergency expedients," Truman
asked Congress to frame com
prehensive labor policy which viii
tend to reduce the number of stop.
pages of work and other acts which
injure labor, capital and the whole
population"
The President said this ad interim
legislation should:
"(a) Authorize the institution O
injunctive or mandatory proceed
ings against any union leader for
bidding him from encouraging O
.inciting members of the union t,
leave their work or to refuse to re
(See TRUMAN, Page A-5.)