The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1919-08-14
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL

sued a strike order, and then hello
the watch IN Congress of the United
States until just in time to avert the
strike. Congress passed a bill hoist.
ing railroad wages, have returned Ia
Washington. The total advance Of all
railway labor charges since that day
has been 81, 200, 900, an annual ex
penditure in excess of interest
charges on our total war debt.
This time again the Railway Broth.
erhoods demand legislation, but a
further wage advance of a billion is
actually the least of their demands.
The Brotherhoods' leaders now state
that Congress is to legislate the rail.
roads, now under government opera.
ton and losing $500, 00O, 900 this year
from the U. S. treasury, actually into
government ownership. If this is not
done, labor leaders publicly threaten
a nationwide strike, far, more serious
than that threatened in 1916.
They also make it clear in public
statements that this itself is merely
a step toward naturalization of all
industry, whether factory or mine OF
farm. In other words, the control
and ultimate ownership not only of
railroads but of all little industries
it is proposed to vest in "the work
ing classes" This was proposed in
Russia, and has been tested there dur
ing the past two years, with results
which are sufficiently familiar 70
anyone able to read.
railway measure seeks to %refinance
SIS, 000, 900 COO railway securities by
government bonds (this total is about
three-fourths of the total bonds of our
war loan), thus eliminating all pri-
vate capital. 1t would combine all
railroads and administer them by a
board equally selected from labor,
government, and managers. 1t would
divide excess profits between labor
and government; but a de.lcit would
be borne by the taxpaye r. The board
would determine wages and working
hours.
Lenine and Trotsky in their state
ment to Russians proposed handing
over the large estates to the peas
ants" The Brotherhood program
proposes to start by handing over
the railroads to the wage-earners.
The Russian scheme provided for the
transfer of all authority to the Coun-
Gil of Workmen's and Soldiers Dele
gates" The B~rotherhoods' Council
will be controlled by the Brother
hoods. Lenine's policy enunciated
time and again Cooked toward an ex-
clusively proletariat republic" The
Brotherhoods are moving in the same
direction. One of these revolutions
was devised for ignorant Russia; the
other has been proclaimed for the
United States, which we hold to be
a highly intelligent nation. There is
no attempt to conceal the true state
of affairs, and it should be recognized
that our own country is face to face
with the reality. Do we want a Boil
shevist America? If we do, then the
Railroad Brotherhoods offer a pro-
gram that is intended to speedily pave
the way toward so-called Nationalist.
ton" of all industry.
A few days before the Brotherhoods
broke loose the President asked Con-
gress to provide a Federal Commits
sion along the lines of the Interstate
Commerce Commission, with power to
fix salaries Of railroad w~age-earners.
When a similar policy was entered
into for the handling of labor prob
lens along these lines during the war
organized labor was immensely
pleased, and most awards were salts
factory to the wa%ge-earners. Even
before the war, the Brotherhoods
made frequent demands upon Wash
ington-and they always got every
thing they asked for. Matters were
made so easy for them that it is clear
that the Brotherhoods have come to
regard Congress as easy" and in
stead of respecting it for it's helpful
hCSS, VIC lCduCIS VI InCSS OlSdulLd-
tions have become arrogant by rea-
son of their successes. This is evi,
denced by the comments of one of
the labor spokesman concerning the
suggestion of President Wilson for
a study of the railway problem. He
says: "The railroads will be tied up
so tight that they will never run again
if that legislation is passed"
There is nothing in that statement.
or in the proclamation of the Broth
erhoods that pretends to deal with la
Dor settlements in the way recognized
by law and free civilized governments.
Instead a demand is made upon the
country for an entire change in its
manner in conducting its affairs. Con-
gressmen are already beginning to
hear from constituents who do not
propose that the interests of 100, O0O,-
900 people are to be held of less i'm
portance than the wishes of about one
and one-half per cent of the popula-
ton.
The Railroad Brotherhoods, repre-
s~enting 100000 lei on all railways
in the United States, have delivered
an ultimatum TO the that