The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-08-13
Legal Advisor of Organized La
Dor Cross-Examined By
Senate Committee
AUTHOR OF RAILWAY
OWNERSHIP PLAN
One Feature of Testimony Was
Threat That Labor Will Resort
to Revolution if Necessary

Washington, Aug. S.-All day long
from a witness chair before the house
interstate commerce committee, Glenn
E. Plumb, counsel for the railroad
bro1herhoods and author of organized
labor's plan for tripartite control OF
railroads, responds today to sharp
questioning for the semicircle Of COM
mittee members who called on him to
explain every phase of the labor bill.
Through it all, Mr.. Plumb clung
steadfastiy to the assertion number
unions aimed to eliminate the motive
OF operation for profit and substitute
the motive of operation for service,
to which he added the corollary that
lit means democracy in industry with
out which democracy in palltlcs is
mere shell and sham.'
Gravely. Plumb talked of revolu-
ton as an alternative in case the
adoption of some such PLAN was not
obtained by political action through
congress and said that was the de-
termination of the masses Of men
whom he represented. though hope
never TO live to see the day."
The income of the Plumb plan
league, organized to forward the la
Dor bills passage. he said: was lin the
neighborhood of 100000 or $125, 900
annually now" though only organized
in July. He estimated that it's income
shortly would be 100000 and implied
that it might run up to FIVE or SIX
millions. All Of this, he said, was
coming from brotherhood members
The situation is that our men be-
lieve they have come to a new day, .
Plumb told the committee. They
have spent their money and their
lives to secure liberty and now found
that without liberty and democracy IN
industry they have only the shell OF
liberty to live. We intend to get II
lawfully and through the constitu-
ton, by the ballot"
But if that is not possible, what
will be done?" Representative Saun-
ders. Republican. Indiana, asked.
Then, it means something else
What else? the Indiana represen-
tative persisted.
"Ah, there is no doubt in your
mind or in mine as to that" MI
Plumb responded IF the forces OF
reaction prevent the adoption Of this
program by lawful means. we know
the way of history
Revolution is word that should
not be used lightly" Mr.. Saunders OBJ
served
Il hope never TO live to see the. day
when the methods necessary go furth-
err than those I have outlined" Mr.
Plumb responded.
''In essentials. this is the Russian
soviet plan of industrial operation, is
it not? Mr.. Saunders continued.
II don't know anything about the
soviet plan" Mr.. Plumb said, cor
rather I am only familiar with the
popular misconception of what is the
Russian soviet plan"
"Misconception? Mr.. Saunders
bounced at the expression. II am at
loss to understand how you know the
popular understanding to be mis-
conception Of the soviet system unless
YOU understand as we'll what the un-
derstanding should be-"
well. in. popular understanding the
soviet is a system by which bunch
of workmen grab all the property and
divide it up among themselves" Plumb
retorted. II can not believe that such
a state of affairs could actually exist
in any society. 1t is inconceivable to
me that this should be fact about the
D,,ec;o,, o;f1,otiop