Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1916-09-11
house UP his sleeve

The only way 20 find out the true
financial condition Of the railroads and
the cause OF their poverty" is for the
government TO take over and operate
them for about five years. federal eX-
perts doing all the banking and book.
keeping.
Senator's Plea for Uncraanized
Workers Is Truly Pathetic.
Mr.. Newlands refers pathetiCally to
the average pay7of ,tC organized and
| the unorganiZed railyoud workers. He
has heard that the organized workers
are getting almost twice a. much as
the men without a union 10 protect
I them.
Everybody knew that. long ago. The
unions alone have saved the more in
telligent and efficient workers from 4
starvation wage level.
/ The Senator grHyrly asks whether
we are getting to q point where the
/ lower strata OF labor should be built
/ up" Hear him:
Are We giving too much considcra-
| ton 10 the demands OF what We may
call the aristocraCy OF labor and not
enough TO the unorcarlzeGg Nobody
/ knows. but We ought 20 know We
/ need the facts. To determine these
| things"
/ No consideration ever YVES given 10
/ any demands OF labor until the unions
/ became strong enough 20 force both
! The employers and the public TO listen
/ 10 their demands and heed their warn
lngs. Almost every concrssi has
+ been bitterly contested and -ruiginsly
granted.
/ During the firs, year Of the opera
/ ton OF the Is hour law. there were
/ half a million separate violations. be-
cause The law lid not carry proper
/ penalties
/ The answer To the Senator'S state
I m,nt is that EVERYBODY KNOWS
/ the facts. who knows anythiu. OF the
/ railroad problem. Every intolliCeur
/ Call-bOy OF sgcl!on-hand is familiar
( with the facts concerning which the
/ Senator 30 earnestly inquiries Every
| one Of the Unor-auized and poorly paid
/ workers. robbed OF their labor and
. their lives TO enable blUaled pluto
/ Gratis 20 r"yel AZ BeIshazzar fcasts.
] build l!uaIiu- palaces buy $4,000 bull
/ dogs and brdecE their women with for
/ tunes IN Eau-l jewelTy, knows full
well that his bcggarly wage is due 10
( lack OF organization; and every one OF
/ them is duWbly hoping and prayiu-
.
| them IN q powerful federated union.
affiliated with all the unions. 80 that
. they, too. may enforce their demands
and live like human beings instead OF
dumb. driven cattle.
/ Time Now Ripe for Great.
/ Revolutionary Organizer.
Suppose that. al this time. great
revolutionary organizer should under.
take III" task of federatiug all classc-
OF railroad workers in ono union He
would meet at once with fair mra-.
uro of success. Would they trbiirafa
then under MI Newlands evolution.
ary' plan? Never. Like the railrua.
managers. conscious Of their power.
they would demand the whole hog or
none.
What then? Federal bayon,ts.
Compulsory arbitration. which senator
N"wlands says would mean Industrial
-iaNcry and civil war
y great union Of tll railroad work.
'rs, closely affiliated with th" Nmcri-
'1n Federation Of Labor. is the hope
/ and dream Of every radical umoug tho
WORKERS. and his been for twenty
years. Suuh an ORGANIZATION wds nc.
/ iually established by George Estes OF
/ portland. Or. about IL wears ago. lie
( Hc was about ton years too sOon-iu
: advance OF his opportunity He start.
/ "a "a" United brotherhood Of Rallwa,
/ Employees, upon the fundamental plan
! OF the union OF the States. II took IN
I all classes. Each class, the engineers.
( 'lFemCn, conductors, brukCmun. tciru.
( IHphcTs. baggaEcmDn, etc. MANAGED
! lhcir Ow Il affairs and settled their own
. troubles to the extent Of their ability.
with the help Of the central 0rgauiya.
/ lion, hut in case of failure to obtain
/ their demands, either branch could an.
/ peal for the exercise of the power Of
( the United Brotherhood. like a state.
/ in distress, appealing for the hcIp of
I the L. S. government
The BrothcThOOd's rpiun was brief.
/ but while Il lasted it was q terror TO
| the railroads. II won several strikes
in rccord-brcakiug time. Fortunately
| for the railroads. tn" brotherhood WI.
/ launched too soon, otherwise an rail.
road employees would have been repre-.
scented at Washington instead Of 0plv
! four train service bTOthurhOOds
/ Republican Administrations
/ Ignored This Great Problem.
Sine" the Republican administr,..
/ itons ignored this great problem. tho
/ recent crisis came, and President vii.
son, TO avert national calamity. WIS
| compelled TO employ extraordinary
( legislative methods To reach the cfrr,
hour goal i'm day IIc and the Demo
! cratic majority performed a icu-yrlr
! task within IS hours
But the S.hOur hill H. merely "a tom.
! poTary mukcshift, giving tho President
and Congress time and opportunity Io
study the problem II Is like the
peace compromise on tho extension
OF slavery preceding the civil war.
During the next four years the prob.
lem must be solved. otherwise the
country may expect an Industrial crleil
! beside which the recent one Will he
! insignificant This VIII como. unless
! tho problem DO polyod. probably i'm tho
Continued on Page Four