Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-11
OPPOSES Increase ! !.
=
/ FOR RAILROAD MEN.
Senator Myers Says Labor's
.iIE
Demands Too Much Like e .
HoId-Up for Him. :,
PLUMB PLAN S0vIETIsM"

: Declaring that he was opposed to an
increase in the wages Of railroad en-
ployes at this time. Senator Myers OF
Montana today told the Senate that
some other plan OF meeting the high
The Senate had before II . resolution
introduced by Senator Myers direct
ing the Judiciary committee to look
into the advisabilfty Of restricting or
prohibiting for a time the export Of
foodstuffs and other necessities OF
life from this country.
Senator Myers said that the rail-
roads today are being operated by the
government at a tremendous loss,
about thirty million dollars q month
He said also that passenger and
creased. The business of the govern
ment. he said, should be conducted
just as the business Of an individual.
Compared to Individual.
III an individual should increase
wages while he was operating his
business at loss" said Senator
Myers. ''he would be considered At
subject for an insane asylum. Unfor-
tunately the demands Of the railroad
employees have been accompanied by
threats to tie up interstate commerce.
/ am always willing to give SYM
pathetic ear to the requests of labor.
but this resembles the methods Of the
hold-up man too much to suit me-
TT il also proposed to sovietiSe the
institutions Of the country. and there
ID great propaganda under way for
that end, which is also accompanied
by threats. have received kilograms
begging me to support the Sims ball.
which provides for the Plumb plan Tor
the railroads. want to tell you right
now that am unwilling to be party
to sovietize the railroads. II such ac-
ton was accomplished it would mere
" be an entering wedge and would
result in the end in sovietlzing the
other Institutions Of the country.
THE railroad employees would be alb
solute monarchs and would hx their
own wages and take from the coun-
try whatever they wished Next it
would be the steel business. the mines
and the manufactures. and this coun-
try would be thoroughly Russianized-
The employees would be allowed to
Az their own wases-in other words.
to tax the people OF the country 70
pay those wages. How would the
farmer. the blacksmith. the country
merchant fare under such conditions
Sees Brotherhood at Fault.
"I am sorry to say that It has fallen
to the railroad brotherhood to raise
the issue Of bolshevism against
Americanism." said Senator Myers. Il
am ready for the test We are threat
ened with political defeat IL we OBJ
pose it and I am quite ready to sac
riflce my political life and my physi-
cal life as well to prevent this coun-
try from being sovietixed. The test
of bolshevism against Americanism
il right before us now and II cannot
be lodged"
Senator Nelson Of Minnesota asked
il it would not have been well had
the administration takes q drm stand
three years ago, when the railroad
trainmen took Congress by the throat
and when the administration Sowod
the Wind and now has to reap the
Whirlwind.
Senator Myers and Senator walsh
both pointed out that the situation
today is different from the situation
three years ago.
Senator Myers said that q militant
campaign for bolshevism has been 60
Ing on for months in this country,
but that the railroad brotherhood has
taken it upon themselves definitely to
present the issue.