The sun., 1919-08-13

New York Central and Hudson River
Railroad. the New York. New Haven
and Hartford and the Pennsylvania
Railroad.
Il charge hat during the same period
eighteen representative railroads operat-
ing in all parts of the United States as
a whole gave away stock bonuses aggre-
sating $3.50 Ala, 600.
II charge that the control OF these
railroads which nave so increased their
property investment account at the ex-
pense OF the public and have so proflted
by and grants the value OF which is to a
large extent reflected in their property
investment accounts, are now controlled
in whole or in part by the Morgan inter
ests, the Rockefeller interests and the
Gould interests; that this control is
made manifest by the interlocking direc-
torates of the financial institut ons d.
rected by these interests, who through
their ~directorates control the operations
Of these railways. and 1 will say that We
have available complete charts showing
the i~nterlocking directorates and finan-
cial interests 80 represented, which we
shall be glad to present to a proper in
~vestigating body.
Work Through Wall Street.
II charge tina these three interests.
situated in New York and operating
through Wall Street. are necessarily
aware of this enormous imitation of the
property investment accounts OF The
railways which they control and are
seeking now to ave them returned to
their possession; hat in the attempt OF
these interests to secure the adoption
Of any plan whereby the property in
Investment accounts OF these railways
shall be recognized by Law as the basis
for rate making, they are conducting a
political conspiracy to procure from
this Government a valuation of all of
| the illegal acts heretofore consummated
by these railroad corporations and to
make into a binding obligation upon
the public the exploitation through
which these public highways have
passed under their direction and con-
troll.
"On behalf Of all OF the employees
OF these systems of transportation and
the public we demand hat Congress
| shall make a due and thorough inves-
tigation of the charges herein set forth,
so that the American people may know
to what extent II Is sought to subject
them TO exploitation under the plans
proposed to this committee OF Congress,
plans which would make lawful the FIX
ing OF rates based on the now unlawful
aggregate property investment accounts
of these systems.
81 make these charges Inc this de-
mand with the full sense of the respon-
sibility which they impose upon me as
representative of this great body OF or
ganized railway employees of America,
and / am prepared during the investi-
cation which we invoke to s~ubstantiate
each and every one OF these charges
Grants for Public BENEFIT.
Gentlemen of the Congress. the sole
end and aim OF organized and publicly
commissioned business Is to furnish the
community with its product at con
stantly reduced relative cost. The vas,
privileges granted to the railroads by
the public were accorded to them solely
for the purpose Of aiding the public In
securing transportation at a cost less
than could have been obtained had such
grants not been made. These srants
were made for the benefit OF the public
They ave been perverted to the profit
OF private owners The values OF thest
grants SO made have been capitalized
against the public. They are now urged
upon Congress as the basis for deter,
mining what the public must pay fol
the service It sought to secure through
the granting OF these privileges.
"This demand made upon Congress Il
the last desperate and suicidal act o
a teudalism based on privileges. 1t 4
the perverslon of these privileges tina
has created the machinery for pilinj
uF Lho ever increasing cost OF publ
service. Fol this perversion the privat
control OF the transportation bushes
exists. The sole purpose of continuing
the present system is to assist II in con
stantly increasing the cost of living
This demand alone confesses the failur
OF the system to meet the end for whicl
It was created-the service of the public
ITO this system OF public plunde
we utter the word Jericho. 1t must fal
Against It We raise the voice OF on
implRcable defiance. Under its dom
nation no public servant should ask u
to return We ask instead, as America
freemen. exercising our constitutions
rights n privileges, a democratic shar
in the control OF the business OF trans
portation to be so conducted as to FUN
its purpose, under a control to b
welded by the public and by all of tn
skill and ability at the command nc
only Of the day workers but of the gres
body of officials OF the railways-th
, same skill n ability upon which Amer
lea has always relied, but skill an
ability directed solely to public servic
me not to the exploitation Of priviles
for profit. So directed the railway In
dustry win achieve its primal purpos,
that is. TO reduce the cost of living. I
make life easier and to secure to ever
| citizen his full enjoyment OF the rigf
unconditional amnesty Is guaranteed.
4 revolutionary despatch reporte
Gen. vincente Tosta had defeated Gov
: to live and to possess that which h
creates"
? you have made certain charges with
out giving specifications" Chairma
Esch (Wis.) said at the conclusion
Plnmb's statement. els II your idea