The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-08-10
TWELVE PAGES
PLUMB DENIES RAIL !
LABOR THREATENED !
COERCION BY STRIKE
DENIAL OF INTENDED VIOLENCE
MADE ALSO BY HEADS OF IL
BROTHERHOODS.

Washington, Aug. 9.-Organized la
Dor viii not attempt to impose the
Plumb plan for railroad control On
other industries unless employees and
the public desire ii, and its fight for
public ownership of utilities will not
stop until it has reached that point
where grant and privilege cease"
This was the message delivered to-
day 10y Glenn T.. Plumb, speaking as
labor's representative to the house in.
terstate commerce committee. which
for three days has been holding hear.
ings ON tripartito control of the trans
portation systems. 1t was spoken
calmly after the witness, worn out by
the long ordeal ON the witness stand.
but still smiling, had denied that the
plan was soc.alistic.
Again today Plumb pounded the
table and denied in terms calculated,
ne said. to brook no repetition of the
charge that the railroad brotherhoods
had attempted, by threats of violence
or strikes, to force congress to adopt
his plan for control of the railroads
by the public, operating officials and
employees. The denial was made first
in a statement from Plumb's office and
signed by the heads OF the 10 brother
hoods and while Plumb was answering
Il hot fire of questions from Repre-
sentative de Walt democrat, of Penn
sylvania, who wanted to know where
the new idea would stop.
We unite In Il definite assertion
that we have no desire and have had
none" said the statement, and also
Plumb who paraphrased it, Ito inn
press upon the public, by violence, or
by threat, our proposal that the rail-
roads be nationalized under tripartite
control" Labor would be blind to its
own interests, Plumb added, with EN-.
phasis, if it attempted such methods.
When Plumb left the committee room
during the afternoon, to return AGAIN
Monday, he went into conference with
number of men and women invited
by him to attend "a national confer
ence on railroad control. Later, no
announced information would be put
before the committee in support of
his charge that there had been system
attic plundering of the great railway
systems of the country.
Representative Merritt wanted to
know if the plan would be extended to
gas plants, trolley lines and the like,
and Plumb said it would-that he had
in mind all corporations doing business
on privileges which the individual could
not enjoy
Plumb cited the case of the post
office department, the only great in
dustry politically managed" and said
It's efficiency would be greatly in
creased if the employees had a voice
in its management, 'or if it We're OPP
Grated under the democratic princi-
pies of this bill"
1T would be absurd, he declared,
to suggest farmers might come for,
ward with a demand for tripartite con-
troll, but if they wanted it and the
public said so, they should have 1t.
There was scarcely a reference dur
ing the days hearing to the high cost
of living. The thread of Plumb's tes-
timony ran constantly in another di'
rection--toward greater opportunity
for the laboring man.
Citing the case of railway executives
who had advanced from the ranks,
Representative Montague asked Plumb
if he had found evidence of undue
repression which would halt the up
ward march of the under man. Plumb
quite agreed that a majority of the
highest paid railroad men today went
up from the bottom, but insisted that
they were not advanced through vote
or voice of emlSoyes, but by railroad
autocrats, who felt they Were eXtor-
toners of human effort He wanted
employees to pass on IA mans right to
go higher.
Carrying out the same line OF
thought, Plumb said in the army
there were many able officers, but
there would have been q larger mum;
Der of good ones had the privates been
given a voice in Sheir selection.