| Show WILL IVILL WILSON IGNORE LACK OF LEGAL AUTHORITY AND SEIZE RAILROADS RAILROADS IF STRIKE COMES I Has Precedent in Lincoln's Freeing of Slaves andRoos and Roos Roosevelt velt Was Prepared to Go as Far in Great Anthracite te Coal Strike of 1902 r c By FRE FREDERICK ERICK M. M I KERBY Staff Special WASHINGTON D. D C. C Aug Aus 18 If I If government operation o of railroads re results results To- To suits from oom the pending strike o of railway men It It will come in spite o of the fact that there is no existing legal means by which it can be brought about government It may come just as operation came in England overnight at the outbreak o of the European war the abolition o of Just as It may come slavery came without came without any legal au- au Will Woodrow Wilson do with the railroad strike what Theodore Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt was prepared to do with the great I coal strike 1 I On the answer to this this and and some other contingencies rests contingencIes rests the question question question ques ques- I tion o of whether government op operation of railroads may become an accomplIshed accomplished pushed fact tact I Without any legal sanction Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt was prepared to intervene In ii the great anthracite coal strike and operate operate operate oper oper- ate the mines under a receivership using the regular army as the Instrument Instrument ment When Roosevelt called fl Gt George e F. F er I B Baer and d John Mitchell and d their a as associates associates as- as representing the mine operators operators operators opera opera- tors and mine workers into conference confer copfer- I ence October 3 1902 the coal goal strike I had paralyzed Industry c caused sed closing cOos clos ing o of schools and public buildings I and threatened death and destruction everywhere I I disclaim any right or duty to in int intervene intervene in- in t in this way upon legal I grounds said Roosevelt But the terrible nature of the caI catastrophe catastrophe ca ca- ca- ca I Impending over a large large- porI portion portion portion por por- tion o of our people in the shape o of a I winter fuel famine in the shape o of a alieve lieve my duty requires me to use wh whatever influence I personally can bring to end the situation President Wilson called calle 1 the two parties arties artle to the railroad trouble into I I I I conference when the ordinary channels chan chan- nels o of mediation failed The question Is Will Wilson go so to the length that Roosevelt was prepared prepared pre- pre pared to go In 1902 The Question question is Will Wilson then be ready to go to the length that Roosevelt was prepared to go In 1903 That the railroads could be operated operated operated oper oper- by the government and the demands de demands de- de mands of the men met with ease is Indicated indicated in indicated In- In by the conclusions of a man who has made mado a more exhaustive study of o the problem possibly than anybody else in the country In his volume on Government Ownership of Railways published in 1910 Anthony Van authority on government ownership shows what the government could doThe doThe doThe do The railways of the country he heI says could by a little expense and andI effort be largely Increased in their efficiency Their capacity could be nearly doubled by slight additions and systematic operation as ns one system By eliminating all dividends and paying a reasonable Interest on the tho purchase price could be devoted a year to improvements The largest figure ever placed on the possible cost o of granting the themen's themen's themen's mens men's demands by the roads themselves themselves themselves them them- selves is a a. a year If Van Vagen ns n's figures figures' are even approximately approximately approximately correct this Is only one fifth o of the amount t that at could be saved yearly by government operation Should c congress remain In session and the crisis become acute the president could no doubt obtain the passage passage- of a joint resolution authorIzing authorizing author author- izing him temporarily to take over the I operation of the roads to insure transportation transportation trans trans- transI I p of the mail mall movement of United States troops and supplies and I the general welfare The general welfare clause of the constitution is broad enough to stand much stretching l If the administration is disposed to stretch it The Interstate Interstate interstate inter state commerce clause Is also very broad I I |
