Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-11-21
RAIL INQUIRY D
OPEN BIG PROBLEMS
INVESTIGATIONS MAY LEAD TO
FEDERAL OWNERSHIP OF Ex-
TENDED CONTROL.
CLASS CONFLICT NOT
ALLAYED sY ADAMsoN LAW
Railway srotherhoods to Fight to Limit
Movement in Congress to Adopt Ar
bitration Law Similar to Canadian
Statute-consress Not to Await Re-
port of Congressional Committee.

| Washington, Nov. 21.-With the
opening of the investigation of railroad
conditions by the Newlands congress
sional joint committee yesterday and
! the conference between President Will
son and Representative Adamson on
| the enactment of the pending legisla-
! ton. complementing the Adamson act,
the greatest economic problems of re-
cent years will be brought to the fore.
Despite the assertion of the presi-
dent that he is trying to eradicate
class division, class consciousness and
| feeling, evidence is not wanting that
the class conflict stirred by the sur
render of the administration and con-
gress to the brotherhoods is destined
to burn furiously when Mr.. Wilson
presses his correlativeN measures.
Unions Ready to Fight.
| The railway brotherhoods are pre-
pairing to employ every ounce of their
! political influence in congress to defeat
particularly the bill providing for conf
puisory investigation of wage disputes
modelled ON the Canadian act. They
do not want to be hampered by any
| thing akin to compulsory arbitration in
/ SdAuilIS lilcI1 S2l0S dS tliSs ulu ldSl
September
Federation of Labor has proclaimed
that the Adamson law will go into eff
feet, injunction or no injunction. In
$ 3me quarters this is interpreted as
| threat to coerce the supreme court.
The investigation by the joint COM
| mittee is designed to furnish congress
with the Information upon which to
determine whether there shall be
radical readjus tment.
Courses Open to Congress.
When the inquiry is concluded il viii
| be up 10 congress 10 pass Judgment on
these major proposals: Government
| ownership of all railroads, federal in
corporation of interstate carriers. ex-
tension of government supervision TO
the exclusion Of state control, extern
sion of federal supervision to include
all phases Of operation. and the reg
ulation OF wages as well as rates and
| the Issuance Of railroad securities.
The hearings before the joint COM
mittee are TO be open to everybody
with anything to say on the subjects
under consideration. The railroads.
shippers, travelling public. and railway
employees have been invited to send
representatives to testify.
Congress Won't Wait.
Representative Adamson, author of
| the eighth hour law. said that congress
will not wait on a report from the
joint committee but viii proceed at
once, when it conyenes. to frame bills
for passage before next March.
Il do not think" he said. that any
risrnher Of congress will wait for the
report Of the Joint committee: we will
probably go anead anyhow.
The purpose of that committee s
first. to hear and not 10 talk: it will be
glad to hear from anybody who knows
anything about the subject. What the
members of the committee want is for
people who know something about the
matter TO come before us, and if a man
| IS credible he need not give all of his
antecedents or his Aficial connections"