New-York tribune., 1919-08-06

Plumb plan is in no way beittled by
it, and that tho whole labor world is
convinced that IN that plan lies not
only the solution of the railway prob
lem, but also the only hope of stop
ping the revolutions of the cycle Of
increasing wages and increasing cost
of living.
Alarmed by the growing evidence
that the battle over government or
private ownership of the railways is
to be fought out at once, several rail
way executives FASTENED to Washing
ton to- day and conferred with A. p.
Thorn, counsel for the Railway Execu-
tives' Association.
Say They Are Only Privates
Among those who were here were S.
7. Bledsoe, counsel for the Santa Fe;
A. H. Smith. president Of the New
York Central, and Vice President w.
w. Atterbury, of the Pennsylvania
sisted however, that they were but
privates in the battle that is soon to
be on.
"This struggle said one of the rail
way executives. "is none of the old
time rows between the roads and the
men. This is a struggle between the
public and the railway employees or
ganization. 1t is the first concrete at
tempt to force Bolshevik ideas on the
American people. They must deter
mine for themselves whether they are
going to have their public policies die
tated by a small section of the COM
munity under threat of strike, or
whether they are going to continue to
administer their affairs without fear
or favor from any group"
Both the railway executives and the
Plumb plan league have their head
quarters in the Munsey Building here,
and there were great activity and con-
tinuous conferences in both Offices. The
Grafton of Labor are behind the league
and it gives every evidence of having
ample sinews of war. 1t has engaged
the services of several expert publicity
men, has retained former Representa-
tive Keating, who is still holding down
$500 government job as a member
of the Federal Board for Equalization
of Government Employees, to be its
manager. 1t gives every indication of
plunging into a finish fight.
Not for the Future
The suggestion that the loud advo-
cacy of the Plumb plan of government
ownership and operation by the en-
ployes is merely educational, with
view to results years hence, or to back
up the demand for higher pay, is en-
phatically repudiated by ali the labor
leaders here. They declare they have
been organizing for months for this
battle and intend to win 1t within the
next few months-that the railways
will never go back to their present
owners. The present dispute over
wages, they say, has merely brought
into the public consciousness what has
been going forward for long time.
"You can call it hold-up if you
day, "but all we are doing is to take
away from the railway owners melon
they ought not to have"
Senator Thomas, Democrat, Colorado,
in an impassioncd address in the Senate
late to-day flung defiance to the rail
road employees and likened their atti-
tude TO treason.
Not Short of Treason
~ cannot justify it as anything short
of treason he said, after citing the re-
cert public statements Of the brother
hood officers. "We are face to face
with the demand for wage increases
costing SSO0O00,000, which confessedly
will not help them or they will sus-
pend our great transportation system.
Their second demand is for confis-
cation Of $4,000 100000 Of property,
that it be put into government owner
ship. This is the first time IN the his
tory of the American nation" he Colo
rado Senator continued, with great
earnestncss. "and God grant it be the
last in which segment of the Ameri-
can people has pointed its finger at the
American Congress and said You
must legislate thus and so or we will
strike and tie up all transportation
and industry
ours is the responsibility now to
give answer. There is no consequence
SO serious as involved in yielding 1t
means an end to representative govern
ment. Let's not finch the issue. It's
quite as important as any treaty. 1t
is a threat to bring ruin on the
country"
In the past. Senator Thomas Ge-
clared, both political parties in Con-
gress had acted with a view to captur-
ing the next Pres dential election, and
he expressed hope that in the present
crisis partisan poiitics would not be
factor.