The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-14
THE FARMERS AND =.
!: 4: !; THE RAILROADS

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The Oklahoma Farmers union b
entirely consistent in its stand con-
cerping the railroad brotherhoodg'
plan tor government ownership OF the
railroads IN resolutions adopted at
their meeting nj Clinton. the MEM
beEs .,ef the farmers union put for
ward this proposition:
.tM congress in its wisdom sees At
70 give these railroad men their de-
mandS. we ask that congress shall also
buy all OF the farms in the United
States. with, their equipment, and en-
ploy4all Of the farmers to operate
them. paying to the farmers a wage
equal to two-thirds OF the hourly
wage that the average railway en-
ploys receives; and then sell all farm
Products to the consumer at cost"
The alternative proposition OF the
farmers Is just as reasonable as, that
advanced by the railrod unions, In
fact. more reasonable. because in the
case Of the government ownership of
farms, the product would be sold to
the. consumer at cost; whereas the
RAILROAD unions propose that the rail-
roads be run at profit and that they
be given n large share Of the profits
In their proposal, the farmers agree
to the public and still be content with
an hourly wage equal to two-thirds
OF what is paid. the average railway
employee
OF course, the farmers are really
not SO selfish as to insist that the
masses of the people go heavily into
debt to buy the farms and insure the
farmers higher wage. They simply
probes. d--anl justiy--that If the
people bought the railroads for the
railway workers, they also should. a.
matter OF fairness, buy the farms
for the farmers
While presenting this alternative
proposition In order to show by COM
parison, the injustice OF the railroad
brotherhodds' plan. the Oklahoma
Farmers union at the same time went
on record as being opposed to any
form of government ownership OF
raiR! Ws S,ax vim alarm and oppo.,
any government ownership of rail.
reads" says the resolution. land we
especially oppose the Plumb plan {the
railroad hrothethoods' pian) Of buy
Ing the railroads b. - United States
governmer' le public expense
turning III over to the railroad en-
ploy. and guaranteeing To the en-
pics Is that whatever wage they de-
mand will be paid
If the masses OF the people arc x
: pay TOR buying the RAILROADS for any
class of workers. IL would be better
to bty them and donate them to the
farmers. The latter arc more inter.
estsd than are the r1iIroad workers
I'm guaranteeing 10 the public an IN
interrupted operation of trains and
an. efficient service at the lowest cost.
Or, the railroads might be bought
and donated to the carpenters or the
hricklayera or 10 the lahorets who are
engaged in manufacturing auiomo-
hiles or other special products The
railroads might just as we'll be do
mated TO any of these classes of'work
ers az to the railroad employees, II
the muses. Of people are going 10 fool
the bill.
II n significant that while the rail.
ROAD workers insist on sharing the
profits of the railroads. they do not
propose 10 share any deflst that occurs
In Operating the roads The railroad
employees do not intend to stand any
loss. bat to make. their earnings a.
high as possible at the expense Of
the public. One of the brotherhood
leaders objects to the plan of putting
railroad profits back into the rail-
roahA In the form of improvements
II the OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES profit
sharing plan were put into effect
It is possible that the railroad union
men would divide the railroad profits
among themselves and their operators
Then, II IL WAS found necessary &c
make improvements they would issue
bonds and thus make the public pay
for the improvements.
Although any form of government
ownership of railroads is unthinkahle
the plan proposed by the railroad
bro{herhoods is the worst yet brought
forward. II is especially vicious be-
\ cause 1t proposes legislation for a par
1 ticular class hf workers and provides
that these workers shall be given
special benefits for which the grea,
majority of other workers viii pay
The railroad employees constitute only
|, ,ahoutthree per. eNrt sef all era Taefyes
in The United States Yet they in
sist that they shall be supreme over
all---Okiahoma Citizen