The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-05-01

TO arDltrale, ana tne employees re-
fused. But without weighing relative
responsibility for the outcome, who
would be the most injured by govern
ment ownership? Not the stockhold-
ers, for they would be paid in full
for their property and perhaps would
welcome the chance to crawl from
under. Our great free country would,
| think, be hurt past remedy, for 1t
would pervert the very end and func-
ton of free government; but that
Is an individual opinion. The
employees of the railroads as a class
would be injured most of all, for
they would become mere cOgs IN the
ponderous and impersonal machinery
of government. Their wages would
be prescribed by law, and our gov
ernment, however eXtravagant in
some things, is not extravagant when
it comes to wages. The employees
could accept these wages or seek
other employment-even their chance
to arbitrate the question would be
gone forever. For the government
only arbitrates with governments
it arbitrates to save war; with all
others it is as arbitrary as any other
sovereign. Would they strike to
compel the government and congress
to submit to their demands? That
has been tried. Let me read you
an Associated Press dispatch which
/ recently cut from one of our daily
papers:
"Parkersburg, West Virginia, Jacu-
airy 20.-Twenty-four employees of the
Fairmont post office indicted for con
spiracy to delay the mails in con-
nection with strike which they
precipitated last November, appear
ed in the United States district court
here today and entered pleas of
guilty.
"The former assistant postmaster
and sylvester Clayton, a clerk, were
each fined $3.50, and the others were
fined in amounts ranging from 500
to So.
"The charges against William Fish
er, who committed suicide at his
home in Fairmont yesterday, were
withdrawn"
Just a little conspiracy to delay
mails! No suggestion that property
was destroyed or anybody disfigured,
rather a mild strike, some would
call it, but there were many court
fines; and one striker committed sui
eide.
81 know that you are opposed to
government ownership of railroads
as you are to compulsory arbitration,
i know it, for have read articles
in your union journals, splendidly
written, declaring that it would be.
the worst calamity that could befal!
you. Then for your own sakes, for
your country's sake-for Gods sake
don't challenge an impasse that
would almost compel it!
But, say you, we have tried ar
bitration repeatedly with the result
that we seldom obtain what we have
asked for or all to which we be-
lieved ourselves entitled-a arbitration
is simply compromise between con-
dictng interests. Civilized society
is a compromise between conflicting
interests; that is why it is civilized
Every lawsuit is a compromise be-
tween conflicting interestS-it is the
substitute for the old wager of bat
tie; it is the triumph OF reason over
passion and brute strength. TO you
expect society to go backwards? IT |
must be that no man is excepted
from the operation of its laws. SO
repeat that if issue is joined between
the railroads and their employees bota
must be willing to arbitrate. The
public will demand it.
81 assume, of course. that in draft
ing the articles of arbitration the
parties to the controversy will see to
it that every precaution is taken to
insure fair, honest and intelligent
of all the questions in
volved. | emphasize the word "in-
telligent" because it is perhaps cas-
ier TO obtain an honest consideration
than an intelligent consideration of
such question, and the fairness OF the
result must depend upon both hon
esty and intelligence in the arbitra'
tors. It may be assumed that the
chosen by the companies
will be expert railroad men from the
companies standpoint, and that the
arbitrators chosen by the employees
will be expert railroad men from
the employees standpoint; but the uni
pires. or arbitrators chosen to repre- |
sent the public, should be railroad |
men from every standpoint, and II
the selection of such umpires is left