Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1919-08-15
FOR PUBLIC SERvICE---NOT PRIVATE PROFIT
Is the Manner in Which Railroads of the Country
Should be Conducted

3
pay capital every dollar honestly and |
prudently spent.for the public, and let
the courts decide by the Constitution
how much the bill is.'
"And with capital out, the public,
the management, and the employees,
equally represented, are to contl ol
public and the men divide it. But |
when it reaches a given level, rates
are to be reduced. Then to restore
the dividends the railroads must IN
crease the service they render.
"You hear plenty Of denunciationo
of this plan, but did you hear Wall
Street propose an alternative that
had service for it's key note? No,
they asked, in the United States
Chamber of Commerce proposal, for
a guarantee of six per cent. on earn
ings. Is there a hint of reduced
rates in this? Is there a share for
the public Of earnings?
| SdplIoll, lSI say IIdIhIyJ 10
distinct from the public, and labor is
part of it. Capital exploits the public,
labor can never exploit itself. The
interests Of labor and the public must
always be identical. The interests of
capital and the public cannot, in the
state into which we have come, be
| harmonious.
"I want to correct one illusion about
the events of these days. 1t has been
suggested that through radical leader
ship the rank and file has come to
Congress with threats of selfish re-
taliation if our demands are not met.
You must know that labor leaders
would not be capable of stirring up
the country as it has been stirred.
We have not proposed strikes, but
have advised patience. But we afe
not the generals of labor, we are la
boris spokesmen.
at is not we who call for funda-
mental recostruction, but the men
whose bidding we are required to do.
Now we say plainly on their behalf,
we need relief. That is the immediate
concern. But we need more than re-
| lief The time has come for us to
take stock of the condition Of this
country, and to apply without fear
and without partiality the great
truths of freedom and democracy
which are written in the pages of
American history. We demand in this
twentieth century of industry an
American commonwealth Of democ-
racy in industry"
Statement Of Organization Heads
The following statement, signed by
the heads Of fifteen railroad organt-
cations, has just been issued:
To prevent any misunderstanding
as to the policy of the organized rail
road employees, we unite in definite
assertion that we have no desire and
have had none, to impress upon the
public, by violence or by threat, our
proposal that the railroads be ma
tionalized under "tripartite control"
Two distinct separate considera-
tions now confront the people, the
wage requirements of the railroad
employees, and the Sims bill.
In the matter of wages we have
submitted an eminently just propo-
sition. We have said that if we are
to continue to live as Americans
should live, and are to care for our
families as American families should
be cared for, the profteers must be
restrained or our wages increased.
Every fairminded man, and every in
telligent housewife, will recognize
the reasonableness of this request.
If Congress and the President can
not meet this request, it is still liv-
ing question and we shall have to try
to find another solution.
This however bears in no way upon
our sponsorship for the Sims bill.
We do hold to our conviction that the
railroad employees are in no mool to
consign themselves finally to the auto
cratic control of financial dictators,
but in proposing the elimination of
capital and the tripartite directorate,
we have no purpose of intimidation.
We appeal to the craftsmanship of
America and to the common sense of
American manhood and womanhood.
We all are voters; and unless our
democracy in government is failure,
our democracy in industry need not
be- We believe in the native ability
of American Labor. What we ask is
the AmericaniZation of the railroads,