New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-06
Saturday, August 5, 1915.

In the recurring wage struggles
between the brotherhoods of train
men and the railroads good deal of
time could be saved if 1t were as
stunned on both sides at the first sit
ting that all the motions Of bluffing
had been properly and solemnly
made, that for purposes Of argument
mediation had been absolutely re-
jected, that the "strike vote" had
been taken and counted, showing an
Overwhelming majority of the
brotherhood members 10 be in favor
of letting their representatives go
TO it." and that there was nothing
left for either side to discuss. Then
they could begin TO be in earnest.
At least a month Of time could be
gained. People would be spared
lot of unnecessary excitement in hot
weather. Fewer prophetic utter
ances would have TO be forgotten af-
terward. 1t is understood that rep
resentatives of the brotherhoods now
resent the emphasis that has been
placed upon their threat to tie up
the railroads and lay siege TO the
country TO win a demand for higher
nav. Well, that is only to say that
they resent it when their bluff IS
taken literally. 1t is meant only for
railroad managers, and they are the
least fooled. They do their share Of
the bluffing, too, and fool the brother
hoods Just as little as the brother
hoods fool them. Some of it Is ex-
trcmely naive. The brotherhoOds
have sent TO the Senate Committee
on Commerce a telegram saying
1--WE believe the Interstate Commerce
Commission should be neutral, at
least until called upon by the Ma
tional Conference Committee of Rail
way Managers and the representa-
tives of the railroad brotherhoods,
and we respectfully suggest this
course of action" Neutral until
called upon That is not the word.
What the brotherhoods suggest is
that the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, which is the body regularly
charged with an understanding of
the railroad situation in this country,
should keep its hands off, unless
called upon for information.
1t NAV have been already noticed
that the decision last week by the
British government to waive ITS
right TO seize enemy securities IN
transit from Germany through neu-
trial countries to the United States,
like any other kind of merchandise
and to release "a number Of these
consignments and forward them TO
their destinations" had not the
slightest effect upon the value of the
reichsmsrk in Wall Street, upon the
market for international securities or
upon anything else that one could
see. 1t will have been noticed, also,
that the British government acted IN
a spirit of voluntary generosity
toward the rights of neutrals, for
the American government had tacltly
adopted the view that securities were
merchandise and could be stopped.
The explanation is that securities are
not merchandise. They are the i'm
palpable evidences of wealth. You
NAV burn them. as fiction writers
sometimes do under the deluSiOn that
they are destroying wealth, or you
NAV sink them in the sea, or lose
them in war transit, but all that re-
suits is inconvenience. Nothing act
ually is destroyed, save the engrav-
ings. worth few cents each. A de
scription of the securities by wire
less and little confidence in human
nature were enough to battle the SIM
pie attempt of the British govern
ment 10 capture the substance of
wealth by laying hands upon It's
paper tokens.