The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1916-10-11

Order of Railway Conductors, urges
the reelection of President Wilson
There would be very little red blood
in President GarretsOn's veins II he
ibid not do this. when President Gar
retson's union was asking for higher
wages, and saying, in effect, that no
body should ride on railway train
until its demand was granted, Presi
dent Wilson acted the part Of close
friend. The president decided on the
spur of the moment, without any pre-
tense of investigation, that the de-
mands of the brotherhoods must
be met. He used all the prestige and
influence of his office to induce con.
gress to pass law giving the trainmen
the increased wages they demanded
President Wilson is entitled to the
loyal support of President Garretson
and of the presidents of the other
three brotherhoods. He also is en-,
titled to the support of all the mem.
bers of the four brotherhoOds who
believe that their best interests were
conserved in the Adamson act. 1t
would be curious if those who cooper,
ated in putting over piece Of class
legislation should not cooperate in pc.
litical defense of it.
While President Wilson is entitled
to the support of the 100000 trainmen
for whom he has helped to get a
$50 900, 900 raise in wages he is not
entitled to the support of the 100000
railway employees who have received
no increase in wages and whose pros.
pect for getting one has been dimin'
ished by the subtraction of $50, 0OO,.
r., ~ HvtynV n
for the benefit of the trainmen. If
there is to be any further increase of
wages to railway workers it can come
only after freight rates have been
raised to provide the needed revenue
1t is still an open question whether
freight rates will not have to be
raised to- compensate for the enforced
raise of trainmen's compensation. The
president might have promoted set
Element that would open the way for
general readjustment of railway
wage and working conditions, but he
chose to quit after getting what the
trainmens insisted upon. If the other
railway employees vote as selfishly as
President GarretsOn advises the train
men to vote, three votes will be cast
against the president for every one
that is cast for him on account of the
Adamson act.
The railway brotherhoods are part
Of organized labor, but their recent
victory in Washington, with the help
of President Wilson, was not a victory
for organized labor as whole. To
force through their demand for in.
creased wages, under threat of a pa.
ralysis of railway traffic, the brother.
hoods had to repudiate the principle
of arbitration. This is the principle
with which organized labor has won
every victory of any consequence won
by it since it has been an appreciable
influence in industrial life. If arbitra.
ton is to be abandoned as the stand.
ard method of settling industrial
controversies. organized labor as a
whole stands to lose billion dollars
for every million gained by the train.
men. It is wholly improbable the New
York tractio nmagnates could have
got away with their recent refusal to
arbitrate had it not been for the pre-
cedent established by the trainmen
with the approval of the president of
the United States. The fizzling of the
traction strike and its accompanying
sympathetic strike may be regarded
as natural consequence of the failure
to settle the threatened railway strike
In the right way. A representative OF
organized labor who wants to vote for
the principle of arbitration cannot
consistently support President Wilson
Railway stockholders were entitled
to a settlement Of the railway wage
issue on merit. Shippers, out Of whose
nockats ovarv f7n11ar maid ont in rail.
way wages must come, were entitled
to the same sort of settlement. The
public in general was entitled to fair
settlement of the late issue and a
guaranty against recurrence of the
danger of Industrial paralysis. 1t got
neither.
. If everybody who was vitality inter.
ested In the Adamson law and whose
interest was ignored lines up on the
other side, the lineup President Gar.
retson Is promoting among the train,
men will seem rather insignificant.