Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-17
CONGRESS IN NO MOOD
TO YIELD TO THREATS
Proponents of Plumb Plan Given to Under
stand That Coercion Will
Not Go.

sympathizers who have heretofore
stood with it in all reasonable and
legitimate matters and in many past
contests giving to 1t. as 1 did on the
Adamson bill, the benefit of any doubt,
| in any such extraordinary and revolu-
tionary demands as are now being
! made by some representatives of Ia
bor."
Senator Pomerene, to revert to his
letter to his constituents, pointed out
that the railroads
HARD TIMES are valued at about
FOR "PUBLIc." twenty billions of
dollars about one
twelfth the wealth of the country. 1t
is proposed they be taken over by the
peoples money and managed in part
by the operatives, the railway off,
Gals and the public the latter's
share In the management to be one
third.
You and I both understand" wrote
Senator Pomerene, that the ten rail-
way directors will have interests
which will be at variance with the in
terests of the travelling and shipping
public, who pay the bill, and while the
other five. appointed by the President,
are said to represent the public, 100,-
100000 people. they will owe their ap-
pointment to political power and,
it is my judgment, may be Influenced
by the political purposes of the party
in control of the government. Are you
quite sure the Plumb bill was de-
vised in the interests of the masses?
Senator Pomerene. one might be
justified in surmising, is by way OF
entertaining the suspicion that the
masses and the travelling and shipping
public will not have a look-in, if this
plan is adopted.
Evidently Senator Pomerene's sus-
dictation of his
QUESTIONS AIMED letter. Here he
AT PLUMB PLAN. goes further:
IF the Plumb
plan is sound economically and is for
the interests of the masses. why do
you not suggest that similar legisla-
ton be adopted whereby all public
utilities be purchased and turned over
to their operatives, respectively? /. If
it is sound and in the interests of the
ma ssos Univ do WI, not suo0eot that
all coal Mines iron and copper mines
be purchased by the government and
turned over to their operatives? Why
not all the manufacturing and indus
trial plant? Why not all the stores
be purchased and turned over to the
clerks? Why not all the farms. to be
turned over to the farm hands?
And lastly. may 1 suggest, that If
one man should happen to own two
houses, one Of which he rents, why
do you not ask that the second house
be bought by the government and
turned over to the renter?"
Senator Pomerene wanted his con-
stituents to tell him who was going
to purchase the
WHERE MARKET twenty billion
FOR THE BONDS? dollars worth of
per cent bonds
to finance "this bolshevik scheme
He called attention to the fact that
during the last victory loan by the
best organized. nationwide campaign,
conducted by all the patriotic men.
women and children of the country,
there were sold less than seven Dill
lions of bonds at AZ per cent. II it
was so difficult to sell those bonds.
with all the patriotism Of the coun-
try back of the movement. how can
twenty billion 4 per cents be sold?
The utter falldown of service on the
railroads under government direc-
ton was pointed out by Senator Pom
creme. He also took notice that I'M
der government direction the roads
lost $240.000.000 last year. $260,00O, 900
in the first five months of this year
and are now losing at the rate of
$39, 100000 a month. The deficit. he
said. can only be made up by greatly
increased freight and passenger
rates.