Omaha daily bee., 1919-08-10
VIOLENCE NOT
PLAN OFLABOR,
PLUMB STATES
Says Railroad Men Do Not
Purpose Untoward
Action.

| we dSuiliS toilI aug S'\Dy AhS
Associated Press.)-Organized labor
will not attempt to impose the
Plumb plan for railroad control on
other industries unless employees and
the public desire it and its fight for
public ownership of utilities will
not stop until it has reached that
point where grant and privilege
cease"
This was the message delivered
by Glenn E. Plumb, speaking as
labor's representative, to the house
interstate commerce committee,
which for three days has been hold
ing hearings on tripartlte control
OF the transportation systems. 1t
was spoken calmly, after the wit
ness had denied that the plan was
socialistic.
Again today Plumb pounded the
table and denied in terms calculated,
he said, to brook no repetition OF the
charge that the railroad brother
hoods had attempted by threats of
violence or strikes to force congress
to adopt his plan for control Of the
railroads by the public, operating
officials and employees. The denial
was made first in statement from
Plumb's Office and signed by the
heads of the fifteen brotherhoods
and while Plumb was answering
hot fire Of questions from Represen
tative Dewalt, democrat, of Pennsyl
var a, who wanted to know where
the new idea would stop.
No Violence Intended.
1--WE unite in a definite assertion
that we have no desire and have
had none" said the statement and
also Plumb, who paraphrased it, TO
impress upon the public, by violence,
or by threat, our proposal that the
railroads be nationalized under 'trl-
partite' CONTROL
Labor would be blind to its own
interests, Plumb added, with EN-
phasis, if it attempted such methods.
Later Plumb announced informa
ton would be put before the COM
mittee in support of his charge that
there had been systematic plunder-
ing of the great railway system OF
the country
Plumb stood his ground while
Representative Dewalt, Montague,
democrat, Virginia; Merritt, repub-
lican, Connecticut, and others, asked
questions which they intimated were
intended to point out defects in the
Plumb plan. Representative Mon
tague particularly wanted to know
if in buying the railroads the gov
ernment would pay for tracks and
lines built out of profits, Plumb
said it would not. Representative
Dewalt inquired if the Plumb plan
was leading to socialism. Plumb
said it was not Representative
Merritt wanted to know if the plan
would be extended to gas plants,
trolley lines and the like and Plumb
said it would.
Raps Postoffice.
Plumb cited the case of the Post
office department the only great
industry politically managed" and
said its efficiency would be greatly
increased if the employees had a.
voice in its management "or, if it
were operated under the democratic
principles OF this bill" 1t would
be absurd, he declared, to suggest
farmers might come forward with
demand for tripartite CONTROL. but
if they wanted it and the public said
so, they should have it.
Citing the case OF railway execu-
tives who had advanced from the
ranks, Representative Montague
asked Plumb if he had found evil
dence of undue repression which
would halt the upward march of the
underman. He quite agreed that a
majority of the highest paid rail-
way men today went up from the
bottom, but insisted that they were
not advanced through vote or voice
of employees, but by railroad auto
Gratis who felt they were extor-
TONERS of human effort" He wanted
employees to pass on a mans right
to go higher.
Carrying out the same line of
thought, Plumb said in the army
there were many able officers, but
there would have been larger NUN
ber of good ones, had the privates
been given a voice in their selee-