Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1919-09-11
BE PREPARED

Definite arrangements to operate
the railroads under protection OF
the army in case the trainmen strike
is proposed in statement issued
Monday by the Republican Publicity
Association, through its president,
Hon. Jonathan Bourne, jr. The
statement says:
THE total unpreparedness with
which we entered the war against
Germany cost the country billions of
dollars and thousands of lives. Had
| proper attention been paid 20 our
national defense in the years pre-
ceding the war, we could have enter
ed the battle line at an earlier date
and brought the war to close
sooner and at far less expenditure
of men and money. The country is
now confronted with a labor war,
which, IL all the threats of the labor
| leaders come true will bring with it
| even more distress and loss than the
conflict with the central powers.
But the lesson of preparedness that
the nation learned at such terrible
cost two years ago seems to be pass
ing unheeded in the face of the
present crisis.
$50 far as the public is aware the
president, true to his record, Is TAX
ing no measure whatever to provide
against the catastrophe that i'm
| ponds. On August 21st a state
ment was issued from the railway
employees department of the FEEDER
alton of Labor giving the present
status of the negotiations with the
president for more pay. If strike
is authorized reads that paper and
it becomes necessary to strike to Sc
cure a just settlement, the day,
hour and necessary instructions
will be issued by the railway en-
ployees department of the American
Federation of Labor. Evidently
the men are still in a belligerent
mood, and ready to strike at the
drop of the hat.
"Mr. Wilson already has replied
to the demands of the shopmen in a
letter that practically rejects all that
they asked. That action may pre-
sage the position he will take in the
ultimatum of the four brotherhoods.
II those demands are rejected then
the country may wake. up some
morning to find it's transportation
system paralyzed, with all its at
tendant calamities. What will Mr..
Wilson do to alleviate the suffering
sure to result? The time is short,
and such steps as appear feasible
should be taken at once.
Army units should be distributed
| through the rail centers where trou-
| BILE is most 10 be feared; the per-
sonnet of the army should be exam
! ined with a view to locating men
with previous railroad experience
who could run trains in an emergen-
cy; state authorities should be re-
quested to prepare lists of men in
their Jurisdictions competent to as
sist in the same way, and who are
not under the control of the brother
hoods, the public should be warned
| in the event of a strike to refrain
from all unnecessary travel and ship
ments of freight; motor truck trains
should be organized ready to sally
forth at a moments notice to take
the place of railroad equipment IN
that connection the government
immense stores of unused trucks
should be Immediately overhauled
and made ready for instant service
Those are but few of the means
that readily suggest themselves fol
breaking the force of a rail strike
Others can be quickly conceived by
experts in rail and motor transpor
tation. Yet the president sits ser