Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1919-11-27
NOW HAVE A
VERY GOOD PLAN
UNCLE TELLS CHILDREN WHAT
A GOOD OPPORTUNITY WE
HAVE TO SETTLE TROUBLE

uncle Ted, SAID JACK, "a ions
time ago you told us all about the
railroad men and the Plumb plan
and how they wanted to have the
people buy the railroads and then
run them to suit themselves. | was
dawn at the round house again to-
day and Mr.. Jones, one of the en-.
gineers says that after the first OF
next year the railroads won't be run
any more by the government. Is
that right?"
Eyes, Jack" replied Uncle Ted
Mr.. Jones is right, unless the presi-
dent changes his mind and that does
not seem very likely"
He also said that the senate was
going to talk about and vote on a
bill called the CummiRs' bill that
tells how the railroads shall be run
after they go back to the owners.
bill says that the railroad men will
not be allowed to quit work and that
to pass such law would be going
against the constitution. What
does he mean?"
well, Jack, he has been trying to
mislead you again. Go call your
sister in here and l will tell you the
truth about the return of the rail-
roads and the Cummins' bill"
When Jack and Ruth were back in
the big front room Uncle Ted began:
ITO understand this story you
must know that for the last two years
the government has been running
the railroads They were taken
away from their owners by the pres
ident at midnight on the last day of
the year 1917. Congress had pass
ed law on June 80, 1917, giving
him that right. 1t was done because
the president thought it was neces-
sary to help win the war. But |
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 mon
ey 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 before the
war. But instead of making mon
ey, although ii costs people 25 per-
cent more to ride on trains and 25
percent more to ship freight under
government control, the govern
ment has made nearly 5000, 900, 900
less than the owners should. receive,
Director General Hines, who took
Mr. McAdoo's place, says that the
wages of tho railroad men have been
increased so percent by the govern
ment and since he said that he has
offered them another increase. So
you see, children, law passed by a
democratic congress and started
working by a democratic president
81, $50. 100000, the amount appro-
priated by congress to run the rail-
road administration, but has also
meant the loss of about $500, 000,-
900 which must be paid back to the
owners according to the law This
should be enough for everybody to
see that the government has no bus
mess running things like railroads,
telegraph and telephone lines"
But what about the Cummins'
hill?" asked Jack.
well, you see, Jack, congress
couldn't just let the railroads go
back to the owners the first of next
year without some kind of laws to
straighten out all the little trou-
bles, both for the government and
the owners. The Cummins' bill is
just one bill which has been written
for this purpose by Senator Albert
b. Cummins of Iowa, who Is chair
man of the senate committee on in
terstate commerce. The bill has
been written and is is now up to
the senate as to whether ii shall be
passed or not. Your friend the en-
gineer, Jack, is just like lot of
leaders of the various labor clubs in
this country who are trying to make
people believe that certain part of
this bill would keep men from leav-
ing their work. The truth is that
there is nothing in the Cummins'
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
workmen says, that nothing herein
shall be taken to deny to any indi-
vidual the right to quit his employ
ment for any reason"
What does Mr.. Jones mean,
them" asked Jack.
Just this. He was thinking OF
that part of the bill that makes IL
illegal, that is against the law, for
the railroad men to go on strike.
You see strike on the railroads is
a whole lot different from strikes in
other lines of business. IL the rail-
road men should all go on strike IL
would mean that food could not be
shipped, people would starve and
business of all kinds would have to
stop. II it should happen in the
winter the people throughout the
country would be unable to get coal.
Poor people who can buy only a
small amount at time would suf-
fer and many little children would
die from the cold"
'Ughl That would be awful" ex-
claimed Ruth.
Indeed it would, Ruth. So for
that reason Senator Cummins and
those who helped make this bill feel
that there is a lot of difference be-
tween letting a man quit his work il
he wishes and letting him and 9TH
ers get together to stop the railroads
of the country from running. No
law can be passed to keep a man
from quitting his job IL he wishes.
The constitution prevents that. but
when men get together to destroy
the lives of others, their property
and happiness, land that is what a
railroad strike would mean) then