Bisbee daily review., 1919-08-07
BILL OF
 RAIL CONTROL
 IN COMM TTEE

| WASHINGTON, Aug. 6.-Organized i labor's remedy for the high cost of living in bill that would turn over | the railroads to the public, operating officials, and labor-was presented to congress today by men high in the 1 council of the organization who de- clared with utmost frankness condi- tlons were so desperate it might be necessary to advocate "a firing squad for profiteers."
 With equal frankness members of the house interstate commerce com mittee stated, during the examination or Warren s. Stone, grand chief of the Brotherhood of Railroad Locomo- tive Engineers, and Frank Morris, secretary of the American Federation of Labor, that the bill embodying what has come to be called the Plumb plan, was too radical, and failed to strike at the high price evil against which people throughout the country are clamering.
 For months the house committee had been considering all plans for so- lution of the problems confronting the roads with their return to private management, and the Plumb proposal was offered with the assurance of la- Dor leaders that it would cut down prices of commodities because of the reduction in rates which would follow the elimination of private capital from the railroad companies.
 The two union officials for five hours stood up in defense of the bill and answered a whirlwind fire of questions from men who must report it out or throw it away
 Tlr,,- y,x l.. ed by an attentive audience including maiy women, the labor leaders made strong denial of reports that they were attempting to intimidate con- gress by threats to strike or chop off the political heads of members voting contrary to their desires.
 ] There was a broad intimation that the public ownership plan if not en- acted into law would be taken to the convention of the two big parties next year, with the hope of having it's en- forsement written into the platform. Warning was sounded by Secretary l Morrison, that the burden of the lead CTS might be too heavy-that they might be unable during their period of unrest to control the workers - in which case, he declared there would be revolution to the next general strike, around the whole theme of which tlle two witnesses said was way en the eyer-rising cost of food, mount ing higher and faster, they insisted,
 than the increase in the working mans wage, with no assurance that it would stop unless quick and drastic action was taken by congress.
 Both MT. Stone and MT. Morrison said wage increases offered only tenn
 porary relief, contending that prices
 of food and clothing must come down,
 after which the wage demand pres
 sure would be lessened.
 They declared the pending bill would prove to be the first step to- ward the forcing down process by re-
 ducing freight rates and expressed the belief that despite the burden
 of bond buying during the war the
 American people would produce the funds necessary to take the roads from private control.
 While the committee listened by the hour to opinions as to what the bill would do, there was no eXplana- ton of it's various provisions. Glenn
 E. Plumb, it's author, was present to
 give this but so much time was taken up with the examination of Stone and Morrison that his statement had to go over until tomorrow.