The producers news., 1919-11-07
WALL STREET PLAN TO FIGHT IT OUT
TURNS POLITICIANS AGAINST LABOR
OUR WASHING GTON LETTER

Fein is revolutionary and pro
labor. Broadcloth-skirted sena
tors from the West, who have
not had a pleasant smile for thu
American wage-worker or farm
er in years, are trying to gel
past the political goal of 1926
by hurrahing for Irish indie.
pendence. Williams speech
was due in part to his disgust
at hypocrites around him. But
now the Irish organizations are
making these other senators
Jump higher through the hoop
than ever.
They would strenuously op-
pose the admission of most of
the Sim Fein agitators into
this country; they would vel
come state department ruling
that the Sim Fein spokesmen
were disguised Bolsheviki.
CLAUSE is FOUGHT
Railroad shop employees, loco
motive engineers, firemen,
brakemen, and conductors, and
each of the various classes of
railway men employed in main
tenance of the track and struc-
lures, are writing and tele-
graphing to members of the
senate and house their protests
against the Cummins bill and
their demand that the Plumb
plan be enacted into law. The
Cummins bill, with it's anti
strike clause, is described by
them as imposing slavery on
railroad workers.
It is due to the widespread
and determined rejection OF this
anti-strike measure, by organ
lied labor in all the states, that
the house committee on inter-
state commerce has decided to
recommend, instead, a clause
making arbitration proceedings
compulsory and forbidding the
strikes until arbitration shall
have been attempted. But since
a law delaying strikes is just as
abhorrent to the labor unions
as is law forbidding striken al
together, the house scheme has
no special advantage, from a
political standpoint, over the
Cummins plan.
Everywhere in trade union
circles, and notably among the
railroad men, the threatened
restrictive laws against them
have aroused a deep interest in
political action. They are talk
ing of a big Labor party move
nent, to be organized within
the next three months and to
step into the national field in
the spring with a full ticket in
the primary elections in most
of the states. The railroaders
are confident that they can
reach an understanding with
the progressive organizations
OF farmers, notably the Nonpar-
tlsan league, upon a platform
and upon candidates in agricul-
tural communities.
WATSON EXPLAINS
Senator Watson of Indiana
has denied, upon the senate
floor, that he was ever the con-
fidant or friend Of the Chicago
meat packers, and claims that |
he has been vindicated of the
lobby charges made by the late
Mullhall against him. His sole
interest in the attack he has
made upon the political views
of many of the experts employ
ed by the federal trade commits
sion in the investigation of the
packers, he says, is that he has
determined to fight "Socialists
and anarchists" and their "hy-
dra-headed" propaganda as long
as he remains in public life.
The senate committee on in
terstate commerce will prob
ably start the inquiry into the
Watson charges within a week
or two. A battle royal between
the federal trade commission
and the packer sympathizers in
and around the senate will en-
sue.
CONGRESSMAN EXPELLED
Honey" Fitzgersald's career
in the house of representatives
came to an ignominious close
this week when he was thrown
out by the overwhelming vote
Of the hosue without even the
consolation of a rollcall. and
Representative Peter Tague
was seated in his stead.
"Honey Fitz" is one of the
cinders III Boston's political
eye. lie did not live in the
tono,,,opt .,pJ b,,o;