Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1913-07-17
The Federal Government
Should Act.

The railroads of the country seem
to be the object of the envious eyes,
when we see time after time, one or
ganization of railroad employees after
another, voting that the railroads
must increase their wages or they
will walk out'-or in other words
they will strike" and tie up" the
railroads.
On the face of these propositions
one might be constrained to say that
if they did not receive proper com
pensation for what they were called
upon to do it was their constitutional
right to quit work. That would be
true If they were not banded together
in large numbers, and If their action
was not tantamount to coercion.
We are now viewing the vote t"
walk out" made by 100000 train
men OF the forty three eastern rail
roads, because the conductors are dis
satisfied with 81. % cents day and
the balance of the trainmen are dis
satisfied with their wages which are
proportionate with the conductors
1t has been but short while since
the organized fremen forced through
a raise, and it was not very long be-
fore this Tin 1910 we Think that
this same 100000 trainmen forced a
raise.
Now suppose these 100000 strong
are unable to coerce the railroads IN
to accepting their demands, what
would be the result, from the stand
point of those affected"?
We figure that these forty-thrre
eastern railroads serve directly or in
directly between 80, OOO, 900 and 40, =
100000 people.
Such gigantic strike would paral-
we industry and cause the shutting
down of factories, furnaces and bust
ness enterprises generally and would
stagnatc every phase of commerce in
the sections in which these railroads
operate, for the movement of traffic
would simply be at standstill.
Now what is the, remedy?
Government intervention.
Why and How?
Why? Because such serious con-
sequences arising from the action OF
large bodies of organized labor call
for such Government control in the
same manner and for the same rea-
sons that ANY other trust" has to
submit to the law that forbids acts
in restraint OF trade"
Such acts are undoubtedly in re-
straint of trade, and the matter should
be investigated by the authority OF
the Government, representing the
people affected mot the trainmen or
stockholders of the railroads) for they
in turn in one way or the other must
pay the bills, for if these continued
increases come land come they will
as long as coercion does not fall the
railroads must get the money from
some source to pay these enormous
millions, and it naturally follows
that rates must be raised and the con-
sumner in the end has this to pay; it
matters not which horn OF the
dilemma is taken, the people at large
suffer the consequences.
How? Whenever the concerted
effort of organized employees of a
large number of railroads attempt to
coerce or force the raise of wages by
demand" or "ultimatum" let this
be sufficient cause for the application
of the Government to interfere and
take charge of the operating" end
until it can be determined if the in
crease should or should not be grant
ed and the Government then to be
the final Judge in the premises.
We mean to say that with the hun
bred of thousands of soldiers in the
State and Federal Armies, that there
should be such instructions made
and given to them that would fit
them (many of them to take the
places of those who care to walk out
on account of their lack of proper
compensation and leave the railroads
in a position thereby to fill the places
IN due course by men who might be