Catoctin clarion., 1919-09-04
RAIL WAY LABOR
MOVE ASSAILED
New York World, Strong Wilson
Supporter, Denounces "Revolu.
ton by Ultimatum."
PARALLEL TO RUSSIAN IDEA.
Calls Railroad Brotherhoods' Plan for
Government Ownership "Soviet
Economics Venture"

New York.-The New York World,
I'm leading editorial, characteiiZes
the railroad labor plan for Government
ownership of railroads as IA s'rai%ht'
out adventure into Soviet economies
Tie editorial page Of the World las
ton. had national reputation for uil-
,lev.ating support Of Democratic Ir''I-
cirles. hostility to Wall street. and The
mos, loyal and vigorous assistance 10
President Wilson. The World says:
"RevoIution by uItimatum."
The plan of the railroad brother
hoods for taking over the railroad
properties Of the country Is n straight
oui adventure into Soviet economies.
It eontemplater collective ownership,
buI class opern,ion and control, when
is al the foundation OF III" Soviet s!s-
lem.
The American people. through their
Government. are to buy the railroads
from the private owners and lurn these
properties over to the railroad en-
pIoyees to manage and operate. In
consideration Of an investment of APP
prox,ina,rIy $.0Wio, ,OOJ,n0 the Gov
ernmenl is 10 appoint one-tiiird Of the
directors. and the public IL to share
in such savings IN the cost Of opera
ton us may remain after the EN-
ployces have paid themselves what
they think their services ought to be
worth.
The spirit In which the program is
put forth may be inferred from II slnte-
ment made by T. NJ Jewell, acting
president of the railroad employees
department of the American Fedora
tion of Labor, In which he said that II
President Wilson's suggestion to Con-
the railroads so tight that they will
never run again 1t lhnr Legislation Is
passed" II might have been Trotzky
himself spenking to n bourgeoise that
had offered mild and academic obJec-
tons to being despntIed
Who Is the Government
Before any rHilroHd plan can he
worked ouI one highly essential fact
must be established namely. whether
The soverr IN power of the United
>;'ntos is >..''rl in E; 'r"rrrl"ni luh IN
lie Al .rrir.,r peoI'," .r Wheli u IL ~
vested E.. HE airca! bro herh 'ods.
-: re-" wears NV he Ir' or
Hoods have assumed that the sovereign
power was vested in them, and Con-
4rrSs has provided them with excel
lent reasons for that assumption.
When the railroad employees In the
critical period Of the summer of 1915
demanded an EIGHT hour day and
threatened ~ general strike, President
Wilson Seni II message to Congress IN
which he urged ihat the cight-hour
day be made the basis of work and
wa>rs, but he made four other pro-
posas. one of which called for
AN amendment to the existing Fed
cral statute which provides for. The
mediation conciliaiiOn ard arbitration
Of such controversies as the present
by adding to II II provision tha' in
ease the methods of accommodation
now provided for should fail. fun
public investigation OF the merits Of
every such dispute should be institute
ed and completed before strike or
lockout may be lawfully attempted"
Try to lntimidate Congress.
Congress refused to enact tliS lcgis-
lntion because the la or leaders OBJ
jected to it, and now we have II sIua-
tion In which a'3ur leader can threat
Ell to "te up the railroads so tight that
they will never run again" If Congress
pre- ,umcs to pass an act to which the
brotherhood autoclacy objects as un-
equal to its Imperative demands.
The railroad hrGthcrhoods have en-
har!ied upon IL policy that even the
most conspr ativp of them must admit (
is economically revolutionary. If ',"ir
scheme of natiomallZaliOn under class
control is To he carried out in respect
TO railroads. nobody can draw the line
here ii shall stop until all Industry
S under sic' let direction. Yet they
ar" not putin" their program out as
naiiCr ia be discussed and deliberate
~ considered by the American people.
r. ry are trying to- force the Issue and
ring about revolution by ultima
,um.
The Public Pays.
Tn the Inst three years the railroad
emtluypps have received hundreds of
millto' of dollars i'm wage increas ses
for which the gen. raj public is paying.
AS reward for Its generosity the
country Is to he taken by the throat
and checked into siii'n:iSSi:n If the most
complicated economic issues that have
ever confronted IL are not So He'd forth
with. If there is any difference be-
tween that kind of arrogance and the
arrogance of The German general s;aff
in July. 1911. we should like to know
what it is.