Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-03-18 | Page 6 | Strike Postponed

STRIKE POSTPONED. The American people will appreciate today some of the sensations of the con'lejnried man who has been reprieved. re-prieved. The postponement of the strike for even a day will give them bright visions vis-ions of a peaceful settlement. Only two elements favored a strike radionls among the railway men and the disloyal persons who wish to see the country handicapped upon its entry into war. President E. E. Calvin of the Un- ; ion Pacific voiced a widespread suspicion suspic-ion when he hinted that the strike was j being fomented by pro-German conspira- ; tors. Ho did not charge, nor was it suspected, that the brotherhood chiefs were in any alliance with this sinister secret power. But the very fact that 1 the power is sinister and secret is a sufficient proof that it could employ underground channels to accomplish its purpose without revealing that purpose to the deluded railway men. The agreement obtained by the federal fed-eral mediators has one decidedly unpleasant un-pleasant aspect. It seems as if pressure were being brought to bear upon the United States supreme court to hand down a decision at once on the consti- ; tutionality of the Adamson law. The brotherhood chiefs frankly took the position that the supreme court must decide the law constitutional if the country is to escape a strike involving involv-ing several million men and the tieup of all the railways of the country on the eve of war. The people will not forget, this deplorable de-plorable crisis and will insist that legislation legis-lation be framed to prevent a recurrence of events which have brought disgrace upon the entire country. They will insist in-sist that the nation must never again be brought face to face with the alternatives alter-natives offered by the brotherhood chiefs. They see in the situation perils which threaten the very existence of the republic. They see elements of disunion disun-ion and discord which would put the nation in much the same plight as that in which Russia now finds itself. Unimagined weaknesses and perils have been suddenly disclosed to all of us and we are more inclined today than we wore a few months ago to believe that the enemies within our ranks were speaking not without understanding when they said that we lacked the unity of a real nation. Fortunately, we shall be instructed by circumstances and shall make proper provision for the future.