The Connecticut labor press., 1919-10-11

Then, MT. Wallis, how can you ex- plain this discrimination against your own engines, which you admit are con- struCted for less money and develop greater efficiency? What 1agical reason can there be for not utilizing to the full the plants which you are now oper- ating less than one-third of the time p
 Mir. Wallis hesitated a bit before he made reply, then 1t came with significant distinctness:
 We are compelled to tickle those who tickle us !''-Char1es NJ. Kelly. in Labor"
 The railroad gamblers in Wall street are demanding that Congress make them New Years present of eight million dollars. The railroads have Watered their securities by this colossal sum. They now demand that your government and mine shall recognize these fraudulent securities as bona tide and place them as a mortgage on the backs of you and your children and your children's children, in perpetuitv. This is easy mOney-ain't it?
 This is the steal that Wall street is trying to put over.
 The railroads of the country are worth from $11,OOO,OOO,OOO to Sl3,OOO,- 100000. That is far more than they cost the owners. But that is what they are worth today according to the stock quotations on Wall street. The Inter- state Commerce Commission has been valuing railroads under the La Toilette bill, and from the valuations thus far completed the railroads are worth about S12,O000O0,OOO.
 But the railroads are claiming a value of S2OOO0,O00,000. They are, demanding that Congress shall recognize the fCtiti- ous Watered securities and insure the owners minimum of six per cent in tereSt upon them. This is the main pur- pose of the bills introduced into Con- gress by the railway owners.
 In other words, they demand that the workers of America. the farmers of America, the manufacturers and pro- ducers of America, shall pay them a minimum i'll interest charges of $1 20O,- OOO0OO year. If they get possession Ot the roads they may demand $160O,- OOOOOO. The government is now paying the railroads S900,OOO,OOO rental. This is from $300,OOOO0O to $4OO.OOO,OOO a year too much.
 Under the Plumb plan, Congress would pay the railroad owners for every legitimate dollar of value. They would have the railroads valued by the courts and issue government bonds to the owners for the value as fixed. These bonds would pay 4l to per cent in terest. The charge upon the people would be from $5OO,OOOOOO to S6OO.OOO,- GOO year.
 The Railroad Brotherhoods have asSailed this Wall street steal. And the Plumb plan would save the workers, the consumers and producers from S6OO,OOO,OOO to a billion dollars year in interest charges alone. It would save it for reduced freight and passenger charges. for increased wages. for inn proving the railway seryicc for cutting down the cost of living.
 Organized labor is the only organized force that is fighting this steal. Organ izcd labor is fighting it for you, for the farmer, for the manufacturer and for llO,0OO,OO0 people.
 No people have ever yet voted them selves into slavery. Yet this is what the railroad owners are proposing and Congress is considering the proposal without a protest. Had it not been for the Plumb Plan League the bill would have been we'll on the way to passage. As a railroad attorney put 1t, the Plumb plan has torpedoed Us com pletely.