The north Mississippi herald., 1919-12-05
LABOR LEADER WOEL
DEr0UNCES PENDING
RAILROAD BILL
Says Government by Injunction
Should BE Prohibited--La-
Dor and Capital Must Be Put
On en Equal Footing.

Should Ee Prohibited---La-
Dor and Capital Must Be Put
On an Equal Footing.
Washington, Nov. 30-Organized d
labor's attitude toward many cues
tons pending and likely to come be-
fore congress was outlined today by
Mathew Woll, vice president of the
American Federation of Labor, reply
ing to q series of questions submitted
to labor leaders by Chairman Hays.
OF Re nllblican national committee.
To make the fruits of labor more
effectively usable for the welfare Of
the country, capital and labor, Woll
declared, must be placed on an equal
roofing by making all corporation
charters provide that under their
powers the holding might not deny
employees the right to organize, bar
gain collectively through representa-
tives of their own choosing" or to de-
termine for themselves the conditions
and relations of their service With
out this check on corporate powers,
ne said, "the domestic conflict now
raginp--cannot and will not be per-
manently ended"
LIZ NeSliS pans To SGlllc OF MIMI
mize industrial unrest, Mr.. Woll de-
clared arbitrary exercise of unwar-
ranted and unconstitutional authority
by our courts" could not a1ay it, ad-
ding that "to avoid building up a
judicial aristocraey" the word CT the
supreme court, state or federal,
should not be final on the constitu-
tionaiity of an act. He proposed re-
enactment of the measure after it had
been held unconstitutional should
take place it on the statute books
despite the court.
Safeguard Freedom.
Government by Injunction" he
said, should be prohibited, the rights
and liberties and freedom should be
fully safeguarded and the upbuilding
of judicial autocracy made impossi-
BILE for all time to come"
Congress he said should speedily
approve the covenant of the league of
nations including the labor provisions
contained in this remarkable docu-
ment which holds the hope for future,
peace of the world in keeping, i'm
stead of filibustering and fiddling
away like Nero while Rome was
aflame."
Measures to prohibit child labor,
total immigration exclusions for two
years, a government employees and re-
tirement minimum wage act, a fed
eral employment service, elimination
of convict labor competition, soldiers
land legislation, state loans to home
builders and repeal of all taxes on
necessities, were advocated.
Denounce Railroad Bill.
Mr. Woll denounced the pending
bill for railroad control offered by
Senator Cummins, Republican, Iowa,
as "the most un-American piece of
legislation ever proposed by anyone"
and suggested that the railroads be
not returned to private operation for
/ two years to permit the people mean
while to say what would be done
with them.
Under no circumstances, he con-
tended, should any commission or
other agency be authorized to fix
wages or hours, and while the federal
compensation law has done good, it
should be amended as to, its rates
to keep pace with the cost of living.
Women should receive equal treat
ment and pay with men, but should
be given tasks only proportionate to
their strength and potential mother
hood, the letter stated.
Discussing accident and unemploy-
ment insurance, Mr.. Woll declared
Il the true solution was to strike at
h unemployment itself by "a system
attic elimination of many of the sea-
sonable industrial undertakings"
The United Mine Workers, he said
in asking for a five-day week were
sin reality asking for a greater Pc
Il riod of work rather than a greater
period of idleness." Universal OBJ
servance of the eight-hour day would
tend, he said, to adjust conditions of
unemployment in many industries. If
these matters were adequately dealt
with, he added, workers could lay by
savings to care for their families in
n times of stress or idleness.
\ Answering if labor desired to "par-
4 ticipate in the control and manage
h ment of industry and share in prof
i its and LOSSES" Mr.. Woll said profit
1 sharing as thus far proposed was "a
\ sham and fraud" and "cloak for
excess profits" The suggestions as
to sharing profits and losses "hor-
| ders on the absurd" he said.
4 eff workers are to share in the
losses, then let us establish shop SOW
lets and let the worker also manage
and operate the entire industries" he
said. He added:
Il "American labor demands only a
voice and control in such industrial
matters and managements as affects
their interests as workers and which
I are determined largely by their con-
+ tracts of employment"