Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-09-07
BY N. O. MESSENGER.

tiOnabIy lnnuentlal element III
Congress to write into. the forthcom-
ing railway legislation inhibition of
tying up railway transportation by
lockouts or strikes pending settle
ment of wage or other disputes be-
tween employers and employees. Poll
tics is ,effaced in this proposition;
democrats and republicans are intent
upon carrying it out. It's proponents
believe it will be accomplished be-
cause they think the preponderating
sentiment of the hundred and odd mil
lions inhabitants of the land outside
of the few million railway men affect
ed are determined that it must be
done.
For several years past many efforts
have been bent to the direction Of
agreements which will enable the
wheels to turn while wage and hours
of labor contentious are being adjust
ed. Many forms of mediation. arbi-
tration and the like have been pro-
posed and upon occasions tried. But
up to now there has been no positive
and unacceptable command to keep
moving while comforting. 1t is prob
able that affairs might have logged
along this way for soIue time to
come but for the crisis which was
brought to a head by some of the
railroad men themselves early last
month.
r X X +
I'VE will tie UP the railroads of this
country SO tight you can never operate
them again un-
THREAT PROVES less you give US
A BOOMERANG. what we now de-
mand." was in
effect what the railroad men said to
Congress and the country This shock
ing threat seemed to bring Congress
~p/ all standing. It came at a time
when the House and Senate commit
>ees were considering legislation to
ay out a definite future for the rail-
roads now being operated by the gov
eminent. 1t was realised that II a
considerable proportion of railway
operatives should be induced by hot
headed and radical agitators.to under
take such q course. calamity such
as the people Of this land never
dreamed of would fall upon the ma
ton. 1t spelled starvation and freez-
ing and endless horrors of depriva-
From that very day there became
noticeable a distinct "stiffening" of
the attitude of legislators toward
preblems of disputes and strikes as
alternatives. 1t was not bristling-
ND against organized labor; far from
1t. Indeed. as the weeks passed leg
islators felt that other branches OF
labor than the railway employees were
resenting the threat. 1t would be
their children and families who would
starve and freeze as well as the rest
of the community. From every ele-
ment of the population came demands
for preventive steps against such
calamity As was threatened. In the
minds of the legislators the answer
to these demands should crystalline
into a legal prescription of strikes of
the character outlined.
Senator Robinson of Arkansas
democrat, in a statement accompany
ing the re-
PUSHES INTEREST port of
70 De sAFEeUARpEp. su b C o m
mittee of
the Senate committee on commerce
on the proposed bill to return the
railroads to private ownership. under
strong government control, stated the
case briefly but vigorously
TT is Indispensable to the comfort
and life Of our people that commerce
be continued. and no system which
leaves commerce subject to the will
of individuals or organizations among
them can be justified" he said. 1T
might as well be understood in the
beginning that the question is one in
which the public interest is equal to
that of the railroads and the laborers,
81 not controlling. ."
That was the keynote to which
Congress is expected to respond and
which the country. it is thought, will
echo: THE public interest is equal
borers. if not controlling" In this
case the public. vastly outnumbering
railroad owners and operatives as
well, is to have it's interests pro-
tected.
Senator Robinson went On to point
out that while no man should be COM
PEELED to perform
METHOD NOW involuntary servi-
is SECONDARY. tude. except as a
punishment for
crime. and while the full freedom
and right of employees as individuals
to quit work at will must be pre-
served. the dangers of general
strike or lockout which would sus-
pend commerce are so apparent and
far-reaching that disputes likely to
result in strikes or lockouts on rail-
roads must be determined in an or
derby manner. The bill suggested by
the subcommittee outlines a proposed
method of settling disputes. but for
the moment that is not the pain con-
sideration; any number of plans for
accomplishing the end will be pro-
posed. thrashed out in discussion and
in amendments.
The main point is that the con-
trolling sentiment in Congress ap-
pears to be in favor of recognition of
the basic principle that country
wide paralysis of railroad transpor-
tation will not be permitted while
employers and employees are at odds