Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1916-10-05

Hold-Up of three or four weeks a
go, which seems to have been over
looked, and which, though it has
some ugly aspects, the Journal
wished to place squarely before it's
reade
We We're told that the railway
brouherhoods held us completely
at their mercy. By carrying out
railway traffic of the nation, many
people thought them able to cause
untold suffering and to inflict
losses upon the public beyond all
calculation. They claimed that they
could not only do it, but were ready
to do it, and that the public was
absolutely helpless in the matter
The president and other admins
tration officials accepted this claim
at par value, seeming to believe it
all; and so we have been told and
are still being told by democratic
organs everywhere that resistance
was hopeless, and that there was
mo other course possible but uncon-
ditional surrender.
This is really a very serious mis-
take.
The trainmen have resorted to
force. They have told US exactly
what they are able to do to the
public.
Very we'll. The question is next,
Just what can the public do to the
trainmen? If force is to rule, ac-
cording to the traimmen's choice,
then where does the greater power
lie?
The journal takes the unhesitat-
ing stand that the public never was
and never could be, at the tradn-
mems mercy unless, like Christ, it
was betrayed into the hands of
it's enemies
What then could have been done?
How could our interests, have
0een defended by our government
at Washington? The answer is
tWo-fold
In the face of a nationwide
strike, the government could, by a
special law, take over the railroads
until the wage dispute COULD be in-
vestigated and settled according to
fairness and justice.
Or instead of the above, all rail
roads could have been placed un-
der government regulation and con-
troll permanently Everyone believes
that this is ultimately TO come any
how.
Neither of these would have cost
the government anything; but eluh-
er plan would have put the, train
men upon precisely the same foot
ing as are rural mail carriers and
other government employees. That
is, they would have had to accept
whatever salary the government
named. This is true because they
have no other trade. 1t would be
for them to take simply what they
could get---and quit talking about
starving innocent people in order
to force a rise i'm wages. They
could even, had they refused to
work, have been drafted for rail
road service, since the emergency
was great enough; and any concert
ed attempt to interfere with he
traffic OF the nation could have
been made criminal offense be-
sides
Either of these laws could have
been passed just as quickly and
just as easily as the Great Hold
up was passed. The idea that the
trainmen were actually able, to
force this unjust burden upon the
public because they were stronger
than the public or because they
'had the drop on the public is
one which thoughtful people must
discount largely. Indeed the more
thoughtful we are, the harder it
is to see just why the farmers
should have been compelled, with
out any invesuga alton whatever, to
dig UP money to raise the wages
of trainmen who are already highly
paid.
Let us make no mistake about
this. If force is to decide the issue,
the trainlmen can't last long We,
not they, are the ones who really
have the power. No one can hold
ais up unless our government at