The Greeneville daily sun. (Greeneville, Tenn.) 1918-1920, 1919-09-06
FOUNDED UPON SOUND PRINCIPLES.

nenuy IN the tentative Dill drafted by the subcommittee
of the Senate Interstate Commerce Committee fixing the
permanent status Of the railroads. They these:
The paramount interest in all industrial disputes is
the public interest
Labor's inherent right to voice in fixing wages and
determining the conditions of employment.
Giving due recognition to these basic IDEAS the COM
mee has framed bill which appears to be excellent
working model from which fair and just policy may be
evolved for the management and control of the trans
poraton lines with private ownership under rigid
mental supervision afording at the same time full
sderaon to the rights of the workers and ample protec
ton to invested capital
If this bill shall be enacted into law there will be
end to railroad strikes SIEVE penalties provided to
protect the public from strikes lockouts No longer
would the health, comfort and the very lives of
the people be subject to the whms of organized labor
upon the side and organized capital upon the other
Unquestonaby the pubics interest is paramount and
transcends all others. The railroads built and OPP
Grated under charters granted by the public pro.
tected under laws made and authorized by public author
ity and exist by implied contract to act
carriers to meet the requirements of the public. Aso
the wages paid to the workmen supplied by the public
in the form of freight charges and passenger fares Every
citizen daily contributes his share of the wages for
than 100000 employees.
Why then ,.shoud the public permit itself to remain at
the mercy of possible dsagreements between the railroads
and their workmen? Why should the nation be under
the constant threat of paralysis of business while
dispute is being threshed out?
The trainers of this bill have decided that the public
interest must be protected at all hazards and therefore
they have embodied in it the antstrike provision. But
n doing they have not left the workngman at the
mercy of the capitalist oiling under wage contract
which may be unjust and unreasonable. On the con-
rary they have provided what appears be ample pro-
lection for him by specifying that the Interstate Com
Commission shall have full control over all mat
ters relating to the management of the roads, and max
ing provision, oo for the machinery under which wages
and working conditions will be passed upon by govern
ment boards clothed with full authority
The right of the workers to voice in the management
of industry voice sufficiently potent at least enable
them protect their own interests is fully recognized
in this bill
This bill, being merely in tentative form and in
tended as the basis for perfected measure cannot prop
erly lie considered in its details No doubt many changes
will be necessary in its provisions to make them best
adaptable to existing conditions But its main provisions
seem attractive and very feasible 1t is proposed to re-
organize the various railroads into regional systems
which is the plan very generally favored by Transports
ton experts. And under this plan it stated that COM
petition would be retained in all it's vgor for the purpose
of stimulating effort Jpn the part of the operating Off
Gals The roads to be permitted to make fair profits
upon the Investments but all above fair returns are to
be shared with the workers. the form of steps to lessen
The hazards of employment extension of hospital relief
insurance and pensions, technical education of EMPLOYEES
md proft-sharing system
How different is this draft from the radical Plumb nlar
and how different too from the plan proposed by railroad
owners under which the government would guarantee
profits The bill seems to take the intermediate course
upon which may be found justice and fardeang for all
interests with special consideration for the interest Of
the public.
The principles upon which it is based are sound in eco
homes and morals They have into general popular
favor with the new following the war, and embodied
n them are the ideas of eternal Justice for which
he war was waged Glass autocracy as repugnan upon
he side of labor upon the side of capital and equally
ubversive of the public interest This bill recognzes@
he rights of employer and employee but strives to give
advantage to neither, and therein lies its strength
There is much more 10 this plan than merely solution
' the railroad problem in this country and the stabzation
If the transportation industry If Congress enacts bill
founded upon these principles it will set an example of
mencan fairness and progress and outline policy which
Will serve as an influential guide in the reimbursement of
'ther in dustries to the conditions The bill will be
AVAILABLE as text book for the true characterization of