The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-11-19
NO PENALTY LEFT IN
Law AGAINST STRIKES
Railroad Employees Divided Into
Three Glasses, and Adjust
ment Board Provided

cd plan TOR compulsory dEDIidt1oil,
including anti-strike provision, and
also the plan written into the bill by
the house interstate commerce COM
mittee, which was described as
middle ground between that adopt
ed ard compulsory arbitration.
No direct vote on the anti-strike
proposal was taken. On both votes
the proponents Of the unions plan
won by large majority. First, by
vote OF ISL to Is, the house substi-
tuted the unions plan for compulsory
arbitration and then, 161 TO 1oS, cast
aside the committee plan for that IN
dorsed by the workers. Final action
came after practically the entire day
had been devoted to debate OF the
three plans and after adoption OF the
workers plan, renewed effcrt to m
clude anti-strike provision met with
defeat through parliamentary tao
tics.
The plan approved by the railroad
employees which was drafted by Rep
resentative Sweet Republican, Of To-
wa, and offered in the house by Rep
rescnta tive Anderson, Republican, OF
Minnesota would legalize the machln-
cry by the railroads and tneir en-
p:ovces before and during federal
control for the settlement Of disputes.
with commissions of labor disputes be-
! ing added to consider cases appealed
form the joint boards that first con-
slider them In brief, the plan divides
the railroad workers into three class
es and for each it establishes an ad-
i,;stn1ent board and an appeai COM
omission. No. penalty. against the
strike or lockout is imposed, and
membership on all six Of the boards
would be restricted to the work
ers and their employers and divided
equally between them.
Both the roads and the employees
would be directed by the plan, as
written into the bill, "to exert every
! reasonable effort and adopt every
! available means to avoid an inter-
ruption of traffic, and to this end the
| three boards of adjustment would pe
! created. these being substantially the
same as those existing under the
railroad administration.
The boards would each deal with
DISPUTES of certain classes Of the IA
railroad unions One board would IN
cludc representatives of the four Big
brothernoods-the engineers. the hrc-
non. the conductors and the tram
men: another would include the ma
chinists. the boilermakers. the black
smiths. the carmen. the sheet metal
WORKERS. and the electrical workers;
and the third would include the tele-
+too it.Jo1 the ALL
way clerks and the way and shop
laborcrs Railway executives would
! narne four, SIX and four representa-
tivcs, respectively, !as members Oh
these boards.
CORRESPONDING to each board there
; also would be set up commission 10
! consider appeals, which could be sent
to them by half the members Of a
board. These commissions would be
of the same size as the boards with
The select method OF choosing mem
be-s obtaining, but with duality OF
n7eT:? bership between boards and COM
missions prohibited Headquarters
OF all six tribunals would be in Wash
! ington.
After determining the machinery
for adjusting labor disputes. the house
became involved in a bitter fight. CEN
terine about extension Of the inter-
state commerce commission author
.ty in relations to car service, winch
was carried into the night session.
Before the fight became sharp, how
eyer. the house without objection ap-
proved q change in the existing COM
r,crce law SO that the interstate
commerce commission may upon its
own initiative compel a division OF
Joint rates so as DOT TO "unduly pre-
fer or prejudice any particular car
riers
Short lines often refrain from
making complaint against their trunk
line connections for rear of giving
ofrense." declared Chairman Esch. eX-
p!ainirs the necessity of the change.
AS soon as the section proposing
extension of the interstat" commerce
:,uthoi.ity over the service had been
read, several members. particularly
hose fror, Texas. sought to prevent
,Goption of the section. Because or
broadening the definition of car s"r-
ice" and giving the interstate COM
nerce commission complete control
Il traffic movement in an "emergen-
o. the section was attacked by
r1enlhers as robbery of state
r;.f?.s.', which would confer "ahso-
l,tc control Of traffic with the inter-
:.t:te commerce commission.
Early in the evening session "ppo-
n~nls OF tho section scored Il partial
.:c.ory when hy a vote of 80 to 50
hr> forced adoption of an amend
e.crt Offered by Representative
:.veet Republican Of Iowa expressly
providing that state railroad commits
sions would retain the authority. as
limited only by the state police pow