The Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 191?-19??, 1919-09-03
New York World, Strong Wilson
Supporter, DenounCes "ReyoIu-
ton by Ultimatum."
PARALLEL TO RUSSIAN IDEA.
Calls Railroad Brotherhoods' Plan for
Government Ownership "soviet
Economics Venture"

out adventure INTO Soviet economies
The editorial page of the World has
long had national reputation for un-
deyiating support of Democratic prln-
ciples hostility to Wall street, and the
most loyal and vigorous assistance to
President Wilson. The World says:
"Revolution by Uitlmatum."
The plan of the railroad brother
hoods for taking over the railroad
properties of the country is straight
out adventure into Soviet economies.
1t contemplates collective ownership,
but class operation and control, which
is at the foundation of the Soviet sys-
TEN.
The American people, through their
Government, are to buy the railroads
from the private owners and turn these
properties over to the railroad en-
ployees to manage and operate. In
consideration of an investment of ap.
proximately $20,OO0,OOO,OOO the Gov.
eminent is to appoint onethird of the
directors, and the public is to share
in such savings in the cost of opera.
ton as may remain after the EN-.
ployees have paid themselves what
they think their services ought to be
worth.
The spirit in which the program Is
put forth may be inferred from a state
ment made by B. NJ Jewell, acting
president of the railroad employees
department of the American Fedora
ton Of Labor, in which he said that Il
President Wilson's suggestion to Con,
gress was carried out 1--WE will tie uI
the railroads so tight that they will
never run again if that legislation 10
passed" 1t might have been TrotzkJ
himself speaking to bourgeoise that
had offered mild and academic objec
tons to being despoiled
Who Is the Government
Before any railroad plan can be
worked out one highly essential fact
must be stablished--namely whether
the sovereign power of the United
States is vested in Government and liz |
the American people or whether it ID
vested in the railroad brotherhoods.
For three years now the brother
hoods have assumed that the sovereign
power was vested in them, and Con.
gress has provided them with excel
lent reasons for that assumption
When the railroad employees In the
critical period of the summer of 1919
demanded an 'eight-hour day and
threatened a general strike, President
Wilson sent message to Congress in
which he urged that the eight-houI
day be made the basis of work and
wages, but he made four other pro
posals, one of which called for
IAN amendment to the existing Fed.
eral statute which provides for the
Cancellation and arbitration
Of such controversies as the present
by adding to it provision that in
case the methods Of accommodation !
now provided for should fail, a full !
public investigation of the merits of
every such dispute should be institut. !
ed and completed before strike or
lockout may be lawfully attempted"
Try to lntimidate Congress. :
Congress refused to enact this legis. q
ation because the labor leaders OBJ. .
jected to it, and now we have situa. .
ion in which labor leader can threat. Z
en- to ''tie up the railroads so tight that =.
hey will never run again" If Congress =
)resumes to pass an act to which the b
brotherhood autocracy objects as un. =
equal to its imperative demands. d
The railroad brotherhoods have EN-, a
,arked upon policy that even the =
most conservative of them must admit =
s economically revolutionary. If their y
cheme Of naturalization under class
OhlAOA 10 W OO NoAAACu Oul III respect u
o railroads, nobody can draw the line n
where 1t shall stop until all Industry q
8 under Soviet direction. Yet they y
re not putting their program out as a y y
natter to be discussed and deliberate =
Y considered by the American people. n
hey are trying to force the issue and n
ring about a revolution by ultima N
UNI. u
The Public Pays. "
IN the last three years the railroad n
Employees have received hundreds OF d
lillions Of dollars in wage Increases Il
Dr. which the general public is paying u
g reward for it's generosity the n
Ountry is to be taken by the throat =
nd choked into submission If the most m
duplicated economic issues that have IN
yer confronted 1t are not settled forth u
18th. If there is any difference be- \
veen that kind Of arrogance and the =
Of the German general star
July, 1914 we should like to know
hat Il Is. lin