The Glenwood post., 1919-12-06
THE CUAM1lss RAILROAD Bill
and arown-ups, Too

time ago you told US a1 about the
railroad men and the iumb plan and
how they wanted to nave the people
buy the railroads and then run them
to suit themselves I was down ct
the round-house again today and Mr..
Jones, one of the engineers says that
after the first of next year the rail-
roads won't be run any more by the
government. Is that rightf"
"Yes, jack" replied Uncle Ted.
Mr.. Jones is right, unless the Presi-
dent changes his mind and that doesn t
seem very likely"
He also said that the Senate was
going to talk about and vote on bill
called the Cumins bill that tells how
the railroads shall be run after they
go back to the owners. And he said
that one part of that bill says that the
railroad men won't be allowed to quit
work and that to pass such law would
be going against the Constitution.
What does he meant"
"Well, Jack, he has been trying to
mislead you again. Go call your sister
in here and i will tell you the truth
about the return of the railroads and
the Cumins bill.o
When Jack and Ruth were back in
the big front room Uncle Ted began:
TO understand this story you must
know that for the last two years the
government has been running the rail
roads. They were taken away from
their owners by the President at mid
night on the last day of the year 1917.
Congress had passed law on June 80,
1917, giving him that right. 1t was
done because the President thought it
was necessary to help win the war. But
1 have already told you how Mr.. Nc
Adoo, who was already holding too
many jobs, was put at the head Of the
railroads and how he let the railroad
mems clubs get more money without
any trouble. When the government took
over the roads the owners were told
that they would be given the same
amount of money during the time the
government would run the roads that
they would have made in two years be-
fore the war. But instead Of making
money, although it costs people 25 per
cent more to ship freight under gov
ernment control, the government has
made nearly S6OO,OOO,OOO less than the
owners should receive. Director General
Hines, who took Mr.. Mc9doo S place,
says that the wages of the railroad men
have been increased 80 per cent by the
government and since he said that Ae
has offered them another increase. So
you see, children, law passed by
Democratic Congress and started work
ing by Democratic President has not
only cost the government $l,25O,0O0,
900, the amount appropriated by Con-
gress to run the Railroad AdministIa-
tion, but has also meant the lossr OF
about $500, 1000, 900 which must be paid
back to the owners according to the
law. This should be enough for every
body to see that the government has
no business running things like rail
roads, telegraph and telephone lines.'
But what about the Cummirs
b.ll?" asked Jack.
''Weli, you see, Jack, Congress
couldn't just let the railroads 90 back
to the owners the first Of next year
without some kind Of laws to straigh-
ten out all the Little troubles. both for
the government and the owners. The
Cummins bill is just one bill which has
been written for this purpose by SfAa-
tor Albert L. Cumins, Of Iowa, who is
chairmaa of the Senate Committee on
Interstate Commerce. II bill las oeen
written and it is now W TO the Senate
as to whether it shall he passed 0. not.
Your friend the engineer, Jack, is just
like lot of the leaders of the various
labor clubs in this country who are
trying to make people believe that a
certain part OF this bill would keep
men from leaving their work. The
truth ia that there is nothing in the
Cumins bill that would prevent any
railroad workman from quitting at any
time. The last clause Of that part Of
the bill which tells about the rights Of
the w0rkmen says, that nothing herein
shall be taken to deny to any indivi-
dual the right to quit his employment