New-York tribune., 1919-08-01

the demands of the brotherhood that
wages of the trainmen either be in
creased or the cost Of living reduced
steps looking to the enforcement Of the
demands would be taken.
Mr.. Lee said resolution containing
this declaration. which had been adopt
ed last night by the special committee
or sixteen appointed at the recent con-
! vcntion of the trainmen at Columbus,
ONO, would be sent to the railroad
/ administration. The resolution pro
! vided that in the absence of action by
| October l the committee would recon
venc to consider "tEe necessity for
using the protective features of the
brothcrhood."
Mr.. Lee made public an abstract of
the report Of hearings recently held
+ by the board of railroad wages on the
trainmen's demands. at which he de-
Cared an "upheaval' was nearer in
! TINS country to-day than ever before,
/ due to the unrest arising from mount
ing living costs. The railroad and gov
ernment departments had better be
assisting to crush proftcering" by the
packers and other industries" he said,
than "shouting across the table at each
other at hearings to consider still
further increases.
Everybody Declared Blamcworthv
"All of us are to bame,' he raid
because we are eXcrting every effort
/ TO get more money for ourselves and
better conditions. Every day we must
realize that the prohteers are taking
/ double from the working men what is
/ given thcm and the trouble with the
! people on the hill (capitoD, with US
and with every corporation and with
everybody, is that we are oxerting
ourselves to get the dollar, while the
! working man is merely existing and
whlle the proilteering is piling up
millions.
81 Will admit to you. gentlemen, that
we are going the wrong way. I admit
/ 10 you that it is time to call halt:
ana J admit to you that until we ges
, together. until we commence togetl cr
! 10 stop this, there Will be hell in this
country-and it is nearer to-day .han {
ever knew 1t III my years of expert
ence. Just let somebody drop match
IN TINS country of ours and it will DC
sorry day for all of u.s.
unless my vision is most terribly
obscured, then there is something com
ing to us pretty soon in this country
that we had better take notice Of We
! rad something Of peace in this country
PRIOR to the war conditions. We were
/ getting along fairly we'll until prof
lteerlng became so noticeable every
where and until the commodities that
working people are compelled to pay
Tor were permitted to be increased.
doubled and trebled, without any cues
''on and often seemingly with the ap-
proval of the government.
Thinks Situation Serious
"We are nearer war in this world TO-
day, | believe, than when the Kaiser
threw down the gauntlet Our law
makers are to blame, in my opinion,
because the masses of the people would
( be behind them if they would attempt
to correct it, and surely there is power
TO correct it; but instead they are
playing politics, as some of these labor
j organizations are playing politics, and
1t is the same all down the line"
Answering questions, Mr. Lee said
/ he did not believe in giving any one
class advantages at the expense of an
other, but as long as present methods
continue, he believed in everybody get
ting his share, as nearly as he could,
IN my opinion, it is looking us in the
face" He declined to suggest how
prices could be reduced. saying the
country was paying millions Of dollars
to the men on the hill (Capitol) "who
are supposed to have all the brains in
the country" and they are not acting
to stop the increases.
II am not redcard man, but ! am
coming close to it, if this thing keeps
up" Mr. Lee said.
Asked what would be his opinion as
to wage rates based on present food
prices, if the price level should decline
materially, MIR. Lee said he did not
feel justified in going into the ques-
tion, but asked to be allowed to tell
OF ms own experiences in the recent
strike at Winnipeg, where he said he
found conservative, home owning men,
bers of his organization throwing
away all they had gained in twenty
live years of membership and joining
the general strike, because they said.
TO he'll with all this-we cannot stand
1T any more. Come with us ant. we
will correct it,
Price of Flour Cited
Mr.. Lee said they could not make
contracts for the future, not knowing
what tomorrow would bring forth. He
that wheat was 1926 in this country
ana hour, perhaps $l4 a barrel, when
hour made from the same grade of
grain sells in England for S5.11.
II want, if possible to see some plan
devised here that will permit somebody
to say. that beef, pork and commodi-
ties of that kind cannot go above a
certain per cent" Mr.. Lee said
Mr.. Lee also expressed emphatic dis
approval OF cost plus war contracts
by which he said owners of inferior
factories had obtained fine plants and
bag profits at the expense of TAXPAYERS.
1t was such things, he declared, which
caused the railroad employe, faced by
growing expenses, to be willing to fol-
low "red flag or anything that comes
along"