Republican farmer., 1919-08-08
LABOR DEMANDS
 THAT SHE SHALL
 OBTAIN FREEDOM
Union Leader Says Nation is Controlled By Indus
 trial Autocracy.

come the home of induStria
 freedom as it has become a lan(
 of political freedom, Warre1
 $. Stone, Grand Chief of the
 Brotherhood of Locomotive En.
 gineers, said today in appear.
 ing before the House Inter-
 state Commerce Commission ir
 support of organized Iabor's plans for public ownership and
 private operation of the rail-
 roads.
 Declaring that American democracy
 was controlled by an autocracy in in- dustry, Mir. Stone argued that there l could be no solution and no lowering of the cost of living as long as con- l sumers had to pay extortionate prof. Its on their own earnings in pur- 1 chasing the necessaries of life l Labor's belief in the Sims. bill, en- | bodying the railroad employees plan | for the solution of the railroad prob- lem was declared by MT. Stone to | be profound. In this plan, he said ! the workers raised the banner of de- ] mocracy in. control of industry and l advanced 'to a new crusade with the | faith of the Pilgrims At the re- | quest of these organizations, (the rail- l road brotherhoods), the Sims bill is now before you" said MT. Stone q i speak as the voice of these two mill | lion men, delegated by them to an- | nounce to this commission and to the people of this country that they are | supporting this measure with all the strength and all the unity of pur- pose that can move so large a body of citizens
 Joined with us and represented by MT. Morrison is the American Feder- ation of Labor, adding three million and a half men to that body of rail- way employees, who instituted this movement
 Tn the industrial development of this country great organizations of capital first appeared as ernloyers Individual workers, following the ex- ample set by capital, organized as em- p1oyes. Their purpose was to secure better working conditions and larger pmeasure of return for their labors The full force of capItalistic organiza- tions has been set against labor to hold and to keep all the profits of in dustry. The strength of the labor un- ions had been exerted to wrest from capital some share of the profits for the wage earners.
 There has been a perpetual strug- gle by the workers to maintain a tolerable standard of existence; on the part of capital to amass greater profits. At times both sides could ignore the needs of the public. But now the very growth of the labor or ganizations has brought into their ranks great mass of the consumers The large number of the wage earn CTS now constitute a large percentage of .he people. The extension of in dustry has changed the nature of the previous stIlgglc.
 For whatever the worker receives in wages he must spend for the neces- saI 'es of life. In addition he is al- woys compelled to pay the employer an excessive profit oI, his own wages The cost of his living is determined by tie sum he earns plus the profit he is charged on his own labor And as a group, labor is forever prevented from bettering it's lot because of the profits exacted by the employer. The hope of a finer life is never realized So long as consumers are forced to
  earnings to l third interest there is now solution Of the industrial prob len.
 We find that this third interest absolutely controls and dominates management of industry. It fixes wages and controls working condi- tions. It fixes the prices of commo- dftfes without regard to the needs of society, or the necessities of produc- CTS and consumers. We have a dem- ocratic form of government but an autocratic con.rol of industry.
 I've exist under government, but by industry we live. Under such a system the majority of a democracy can through their government enjoy only such rights and privileges as an autocracy in industry permits them to receive. This country was peopled ny a race who sought within it's boun- diaries religious freedom. It was es- tablished by their descendants through revolution as a land of poIi- tira1 freedom. We now demand that it become the home of industrial free dom.
 This can only be accom- plished by extending to industry the same right Ct individual freedom recognized by the founders of our government in es- tablisilir.s this democracy. The need of mankind for the product of indus t-y rust be accepted as the basic in- tcrest in all industry. The right of the worker who supplies that need de- rnands like acceptance. This can only be accomplished by permitting Iroducers and consumers to share in control of the management of their means of existence. The machinery for attaining this result we Believe is embodied in the plan outlined in the Sims bill.
 Our belief in the efficacy of this plan Is profound. We embrace this plan with all the ardor of those who sought political freedom. In this plan we raise the banner of democ- racy in control of industry. we ad- vance to a new crusade with the faith of the Pilgrims, with the convictions of the framers os the constitution and " ith the hope of America for econo- mic independence"