Great Falls daily tribune., 1919-12-14


he believes that there must be some
steps taken to prevent nationwide
strikes and asserting that if such steps
are taken there must be some govern
ment agency which shall determine the
fairness of the wage to be paid those
who work in a given occupation, Senator
T. J. Walsh has sent letter to Hugh
M. Jones Of this city concerning his
views Of the Cunmins railroad bill:
Senator Walsh does not say that he will
finally vote for a measure covering the
proposition he discusses, but he says
that he has been convinced that some
remedy be found to extricate the public
from the dangers of such affairs as the
present coal strike. Mr.. Jones is the
chairman of the grievance committee OF
Sun River lodge of the brotherhood OF
Railroad Conductors and secretary and
treasurer of The general grievance com
mittee of the Great Northern Railway
Brotherhoods He wrote Senator Walsh
urging that he oppose the Cummlns bill
Senator Walsh's reply follows:
IL have your letter of December /,
protesting against the compulsory ar
bitration and anti-strike features of the
railroad bills. I appreciate how keen and
determined is the opposition of the
leaders of the railway operatives or
CARNATIONS and of kindred labor unions
generally. against those features of the
legislation referred to, and / am strong
ly predisposed to meet their desire on
the subject. if l can do so consistently
with the duty that / owe to the public
generally.
Sympathizes With Labor.
''Those who have followed my career.
both before and since / came to the
senate. will give me credit, | am sure,
init o
of labor. am not certain, however, that
the time has not come when the public
welfare demands the enactment OF
legislation such as that to which you
object 1t is quite true that there has
been no general railroad strike for .
years. but there would have been a
general railroad strike in 1916, and N
Che very midst of presidential campaign
had not congress passed the Adamson
act, under which. by legislative fiat. not
only was the eight-hou day established,
Aut the wages underwent no change
sontemporaneously with the reduction III
the hours of labor which the law en-
forced.
az am not saying that the law is
wrong in either respect. Indeed, my own
opinion about the matter is that 1T was
eminentIy wise legislation in prescribing
the eight hour day, and ] am also of
the belief that the men are entitled 70
continue to receive the daily wage they
were getting, but do know that the act
was passed at the time 1t was, not be-
cause a majority Of both houses believed
II was meritorious, but because they
knew that the only way to avert a ma
tonal catastrophe was to enact the leg
islation demanded.
Defended The Act.
II was called upon at that time to de-
fend the passage Of the law in public
and defended 1t on that ground, but add
ed that further legislation should be I'M
mediately enacted rendering it impossi-
Bile that such condition should ever
again arise or that congress should be in
a situation in which its action could be
coerced similarly. Even if the Adamson
act is conceded to be altogether fair, it
must be admitted that a demand may
at any time be made under what would
amount practically to threat to tie up
the entire railroad system of the coun-
try, for legislation that is indefensible.
] had not then thought of extending the
principle farther than to railroad opera
tves but | must confess that the pres
ent coal strike raises in my mind the
question as to whether we must not come
to general compulsory arbitration of la
those that may give rise to nation wide
strikes.
Situation Is Distressing.
81 do not pretend to say where the
right or the wrong of the present con-
troversy is as between the miners and
the operators. but the people are freez-
ing to death in Montana. The situation
il distressing to me in the last degree. If
the strike were local in character, if the
operatives in the Red Lodge mines. for
instance, went out. it would be a mat
ter Of comparatively little concern to
the public generally. We would sim
ply have a contest between the employers
and the employees. The people of Helena,
for instance. or Of Billings, could get coal
from Roundup or from the Wyoming
mines, though they might be obliged TO
pay a little more for it; but when the
strike becomes nationwide, as is the
present one, so that it is impossible to
get coal anywhere in the midst of
winter of extraordinary severity, such
as the present one, the controversy
ceases to be one primarily between the
miners and the mine owners. but between
the miners and the general public. Tt
becomes an attempt to coerce the n1hiic
into coercing the operators to yield to
the demand Of the miners regardless Of
the merits Of their case.
Would Avoid Extremes.
4 do not know just exactly how your
family is situated, and ! have had no
communication concerning conditions in
Great Falls. Perhaps they have coal
enough there, but if your wife and chill
drcn are in peril Of pneumonia for want
Of coal to warm themselves, you may
look at The subject from the standpoint
from which ] am compelled to view it.
II look with horror upon the idea Of
permitting a great corporation to pre-