New-York tribune., 1919-08-12

railroad men were not influenced by
politics to vote against Mr.. Hughes.
"That was an act Of citizenship" he
said, "and l was especially guilty, con-
sidering my extended Republican af-
citations.
"The brothe rhoods and myself were
pilloried from one end OF the country
to the other" he said, "in regard to
the report that we held stop watch
on Congress- I want to put in the
record that the railroad men came at
the request of the President and no
member of Congress heard a demand
from us.
"When the former Director General
of Railroads retired we championed
another candidate than Mr. Hines.
No politics was involved. Had we got
the man we wanted I doubt if we
would have secured man who would
have gone so far toward successful
operation Of the roads as Mr.. Hines
"The American Federation of Labor
did not demand the removal of Mr..
Burleson because he was Democrat
or Republican. We did il as one
might have done in a good old town
mecting'
In Tilt With Webster
After his statements relative to in
dustrial conditions and the danger of
revolution. Mr.. Garretson said:
THE Plumb plan is not half so revo-
lutionary as other plans now before
Congress. Most of these are founded
on vulture principles OF tearing the
financial vitals Of the public THE
public be damned has characterized
the entire railway policy under private
ownership"
Mr.. Garrctson and Representative
Webster. Of Washington, engaged in a
heated debate when the latter again
called attention to s me three hundred
letters he had received from railroad
men threatening to post him through
out the iand' as person worse than q
pro-German if he did not stand for
labor's rights.
Does that not constitute threat?' p
he asked Mr.. Garretson.
"it does.'
''Do You approve Of it?''
with the exception of the posting,
which is foolish, approve the scnti-
ments. but not the language. Any
voter has d right to exert pressure on
his representative to vote this way or
that, whether he exerts that pressure
politely, or crudely, as here.
you are hearing from the public, 7
should say, in broken doses. That is
not exactly a love letter, but | have
received worse communications for
thirty years"
Plumb Agnin Testifies.
Glenn 3. Plumb finished his testi-
mony this morning. OF the plan
presented by the United States Chamber
of Commerce for solving the railway
problem he said:
"rhe need of the public for service,
the right of the consumers of trans
portation to receive that necessity at
the lowest possible cost, the right of
employees to adequate compensation are
all disregarded in thls purpose 'of
strengthening and stabilizing the credit
of railroad corporations.
As to other proposals. he said:
'The plan of the security holders, as
presented by Mr.. Warheld, and of the
Railway Executives, presented by Mr.
Thorn, include as the fundamental basis
OF their propositions the same evil that
vtiates the plan of the United States
Chamber of Commerce, to wit: that the
basis for fixing rates must, by statute
be declared to be the property invest
mcnt accounts of the carriers. By
various terms this demand is disguised
IS being fair value OF thai property.
In statement issued tonight by
Edward Heating, manager Of the Plumb
plan league, it is announced that the
conference on railroad control calico
by the league has adjourned, leaving its
activities in the hands of an executive
committee Three sub-committees, tt
be composed of experts in their fields
are to study the technical, the legal
and the financial aspects of the rail
road situation and report to genera
conference in Washington starting
October 6.