New Britain herald., 1919-09-04
Alabama Senator Says Contests of Brute Force Between Cap- ital and Labor Must Cease
MEN WON'T STRIKE
 AGAINST FAIR RULE
Thinks Congress Has Right to Create Body to Deter mine Pay As We'll As Charges.

Washington, Sept. 4.-Establish- ment of a governmental commission or board with powers to fix both rail- road wage scales and transportation rates was advocated in the senate to- day by Senator Underwood of Ala bama, dem ocratic member of the in terstate commerce committee.
 Without disclosing whether he fla vored the interstate commerce com mission as the proposed tribunal, or discussing the Cum1nins bills plan to prohibit strikes and lockouts of em- ployes, Senator Underwood said the interests of the public. of capital and of railroad employees require such d plan. It is clearly within the right of congress, he declared, to create an agency to determine wages as we'll as rates. =.
 Will NOt Oppose.
 Men will not strike" said the Ala bama senator against the just dec- sions of the government After fair determination of the controversy by an impartial tribunal. public sentiment will force the contending parties to accept the verdict rendered as final. It must be done in the interest of the men involved, the industry of the peo- pie and the peace of the nation"
 Public Must Be Protected
 The tribunal he proposed, Senator Underwood continued, must have the authority and power to protect the rights of the whole people against the recurrence of strikes and lockOuts." Disturbance of transportation, he said, affects the whole public and therefore railroad employees owe obligations in their action different from those in private industry.
 Tribunal to Settle Wages.
 There is but one way out, in my Judgment" he continued, and that is to appoint tribunal with the pow CT to adjust these matters, which has the time to consider and the oppor- tunity to know the facts. Such a trib- unal must not only have the power and be prepared to do what is right and just, by the labor employed on the railroads, but must have authority and power to see that property is not coh- hScated by it's decisions. For, should you conf1scate the property of the tranSp pOrtatiOn companies you would break down the channels of transpor- tation as effectively as you would break them down in a strike, with the resultant injury to the people. A tribunal of this kind must also have the authority and opportunity to con- sider the rights of shippers and traV- elers who in the last analysis will bear any increased burden that falls on the carriage of property or persons over the transportation lines.
 What Must Be Determined.
 If you want a final and just solu- tion of such a controversy you are practically driven to leaving the deci- sion to a governmental commission that has full and ample opportunity to investigate the rates of wage, the earning power of the transportation companies, the cost of living, the bur den that rests on the shipping public and to determine:
 What is a fair, just and living wage for the men;
 2-How far this charge can be :, placed on the capital of the corpora tion without breaking it down, de- bankrupting it's property and taking away from the investing public a fair return for capital invested;
 3-How far an increased charge for labor interest or supplies can be handed down to the public without doing injustice to the shipper and draveler, and without becoming d menace to the development of indus try.
 .'It is essential that the board or commission that is given the power to adjust the wage scale of the men must
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