Mountain advocate. (Barbourville, Ky.) 1904-1935, 1919-09-19
)lWAY LABOR
MOVE ASSAILED
New York World, Strong Wilson
Supporter, Denounces "Revolu-
ton by UItimatum."
PARALLEL TO RUSSIAN IDEA.
Calls Railroad Brotherhoods' Plan for
Government Ownership "sovlet
Economies Venture"

New York.-The New York World,
In a leading editorial, characterizes
the railroad labor plan for Government
ownership OF railroads as "a straight
out adventure into Soviet economies
The editorial page Of the World has
long had u national reputation for I'M.
deviating support of Democratic prin.
ciplcs, hostility to Wall street, and the
most loyal aud vigorous assistance to
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 straight
out adventure into Soviet economies.
II conlCmplatCs collective ownership,
but class operation and control, which
is at the foundation Of the Soviet sys-
TEN.
The American people, through their
Government. are to buy the railroads
from the private owners and turn these
properties over to the railroad EN-
plOyees TO manage and operate. In
consideration of an investment of up-
proximately S2O,OOO,OOO,O the Gov
eminent is to appoint one-thlrd Of the
directors, and the public is to share
In such savings in the cost of opera
tion as may remain after the EN-
ployees 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 a state
ment made by b. NJ. Jewell, acting
president of the railroad employees
department of the American Fedora
President Wilson's suggestion to Con-
greSS was carried out I'VE will tie up
the railroads so tight that they will
never run again II that legislation Is
passed" II might have been Trotzky
himself speaking to a bourgeoise that
had offered mild and academic Objec-
tions to being despoiIed.
Who Is the Government
Before any railroad plan can he
worked oui one mighty essential fact
must be stahIished-namely, whether
the sovereign power of the United
States is vested in Government and in
the American people or whether II Is
vested in the railroad brotherhOods.
For three years now the brother
hoods have assumed that the sovereign
power was vested in them, and Con-
gress has provided them with excel
lent reasons for that assumption.
When the railroad employees in the
critical period of the summer Of 1916
demanded an eight-hour day and
thro,tcncd n general strike, President
Wilson sent n message TO Congress in
which he urged that the eight-hOur
day be made the basis of work and
wages, but lie made four other pro-
poSals, one Of which called for
AN amendment TO the existing Fed
eral statute which provides for the
mediation. Cancellation and arbitration
Of such controversies as tie present
by adding to IL q provision that in
case the methods OF accOmmOdat ion
now provided for should fail. full
public investigation of the merits of
every such dispute should he instliut.
ed and completed before a strike or
lockout may be lawfully attempted"
Try to Intimidate Congress.
Congress refused To enact this legiS
latiOn because the la or leaders oh,
iected to 1t, and now we have a sltun-
ton in which labor leader can threat.
en- to "tie up the railroads so tight that
they will never run again" II Congress
presumrs TO pass an act Ia which the
brotherhood au.UcrHCy a. jrcts as I'm. |
equal 10 Its impc raliNe demands.
: The railroad brOtherhOods have EN-
barked upon q policy that even the |
most conservative of them must admin |
is economically revolutionary. n heir
scheme OF naturalization under class
control is to be carried OUT In respect |
TO railroads, nobody can draw the line !
where il shall stop until all industry |
is under Soviet direction. Yet they |
are not putting their prOgrap out ms
matter to be discussed and deliberate
ly considered by the American people.
Trey are trying 20 force the issue and
bring about a revolution by ultima
tum. ~
The Public Pays.
In the last three years the railroad
employees have received hundreds Of |