Arizona republican., 1913-07-28
Progressivism Not Satisfied With Treatment of Symp- toms of the Ills of Which the Country Is Com blaming.
CAUSE OF THEM
 TO BE REMOVED
Difference Between Pro gressives and Reaction aries Illustrated in Late Amendment by Congress of the Erdman Act.
Especial to The Republican, )

WASHINGTON, July 26.-The key note of progressivism was struck by Representative Murdock, of Kansas, the floor leader of the progressives in the house, in the debate recently on the amendments to the Erdman act de- signed to afford a means of settlement of the controversy between the broth erhoods of trainmen and fifty-four eastern railroads on which a strike involving some SO,O00 men was immi- nent and which was averted yesterday by an agreement between representa- tives of the trainmen and representa- tives of the railroads.
 These amendments had been pending for long time. They had passed the senate. But it was impossible to se- cure action by the democratic house until this threatened strike presented such an acute emergency that action became imperative in the interest of the whole country. President Wilson then lent his powerful influence and. at a conference at the White House. it was agreed that the democrats in the house should cease their pickering over individual differences of opinion and for once get down to business.
 The debate in the house is a fine il- Iustration of the way in which the re- actionaries, both democrats and repub- Hcans alike, are acustomed to play pol iticS with this sort of question. It was only the progressives, Mir. Murdock and MT. Kelly, who went beyond the ephemeral and incidental question and spoke of the fundamental problem MT. Murdocl1 spoke for only five minutes but what he said is worthy of the consideration of the whole country. His speech in full follows:
 T think that nearly all men will commend the dispatch and the deter imitation in the conduct of this meas ure which has characterized President Wilson's course. I favor this attempt to extend the arbitration measure be- cause I believe that it will bring peace in this particular industrial line, at least temporary peace.
 But the situation, as I see it, and of which this in indicative. presents a distressing problem that no such com promise will permanently cure. Take this present situation, for example, and consider the case in hand. The railway trainmen were about to strike for higher wages. They are actually face to face with the problem of liv-
 
 All of us here know from personal ob- servation the trainmen of this coun- try. We all know that they are men of education and of high skill, as a rule, and of discriminating mind by reason of their occupation and training. They are not moved and they have not been moved by Whim or capers in this mat ter. They are not inspired by any lat ter day class consciousness against capital. These men are not warning upon the railroad managem ents of this country. They are not quarreling with their bread and butter for the mere love of controversy. They are not fighting for the maintenance of some theory involving their rights. but they are face to face with the increasing hardship due to the high cost and the modern standards of living.
 Tt is a problem not only with the railway trainmen, but it is a problem also with all the wage -earners of the country. and it is increasing in acute ness every day. There has not been day in the last 20 years, or an hour or a minute, when the control of those who fix the standards and cost of liv- ing, when the control of those who determine the shelter and clothing and food of the people-there has not been a day or an hour or a minute in the last 20 years when that control has not narrowed. And there has not been a day or an hour or a minute in the last 20 years when the consumers in this country, despite all the protesta- tions of the politicians, despite all the laws that are passed have not been losing ground It is a serious problem with the trainmen and with all bread winners in the country.
 We are busy here in a very unusual way today to pass this meritorious measure, putting it through under what is virtually cloture and with warrant We do it because it is exigent and pressing.
 But the great fundamentals which are sapping at the vitality of this na- ton we do not touch. We are handling only one side of the railroad problem What about the other side of the prob lem? What about the waste in specula- tive financiering? What about the re- port of the interstate commerce com mission on the railroad situation in
 Continued on Page Ten)