Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-24


amending the antitrust laws SO as to
permit them to enter into price agrees
ments in the sale of their products.
, Labor already bargains collectively
for the price of it's toll, and it is its
protected in >its strikes and its
picketing to enforce their demands.
Now organized labor has come for
ward in support of the so-called.
Plumb plan for disposing of the great
transportation systems of the coun-
try. 1t intends to make Labor day
one huge demonstration in favor of
| that plan. In word. the Plumb plan
has been described as the sovietizing
| of the railroads. The farmer cannot
! see the benefit to himself in such a,
plan. The only benefit, as he sees II.
will be to the employees of the rail-
| roads. who will in large measure fix.
their own wages and force the fixing
| of freight rates which the farmer
| must pay. 1t looks too one-sided to
the farmer
When the American Federation of
Labor announced itself for the Plumb
plan there was speculation as to the
| reasons. Some said that it was a ia it
to the railroad brotherhoods. the aris-.
tocracy of organized labor. if there is
such a thing, to at last become di-
rectiy affiliated with the Americans
Federation of Labor. 1t has been
said, too, that organized labor plans
to extend the Plumb plan. once the
! entering wedge has been made with
the railroads, to the mines, to the
banks, to the industries-in fact II
has already been announced by
! spokesman of the labor men that they
will seek to extend this plan to the
steel industry.
If there was no such plan at the
bottom of the movenent, it is diff.
cult to see how the American Fedora
ton of Labor decided to advocate
turning the railroads over to the rail-
road employees. since the railroad ems
ployes are the only ones to whom
great benefit can inure from such a
plan.
Farmer Not Communist.
- Now, the American farmer is reputed
! to be a hard-headed individual He
lives close to the soil. He is the
last man in the country to become .
communist. He owns his home. or he
is working to own it some day. What
he owns he will hold on to. While he
is ready to organize to get better
treatment for the producer OF agrf-
cultural products in the markets, he
will not support the Plumb plan or
anything like it. So in this very
new issue oveJ the Plumb plan the
farmer and the industrial worker
stand at odds.
There was recently staged fight
over the daylight-saving law. Out
side of those city folks who like to
lie abed in the morning to the last
minute. the vast majority of them
favored the daylight-saving law. II
gave them more time for recreation
in the daylight. The farmer, on the
other hand. couldn't abide the day
light saving law. He said that the
farmers and the farm hands got up
as early and worked as long as they
could under conditions which de-
pended upon nature. That the dew
on the grass and the crops in the
early morning made it impossible for
them to set the clock forward ana
get to work an hour eArlier by sun
time.
The farmer said that his crops were
being curtailed because of this law;
that he could not make the farm
hand work an hour later in the even
ing because he had been unable to
work in the early morning on ac-
count of the dew.
Farmers Evidence Strength.
What happened? The farmers or
CARNATIONS got busy. They deluged
Congress with appeals for repeal, and
Congress responded. The President
of the United States. believing that
the daylight-saving law WIS working
to the benefit of the poop e. tried to
obstruct the passage of she repeal
bill. But it was passed over his
veto. This is but an insts nee of the
strength of the farmers. And they
are becoming stronger az. they orr
ganize more and more.
Manufacturers and their employees
have written to members OF Congress
urging that the way to bri.sg about
reduction in the cost of living is to
reduce the cost of the loaf of bread.
and to start with the wheat which
were like a red rag to a bull, SO far
as the senators and representatives
from agricultural states are con-
cerned They Immediately suggested
it would be better to start the cut
ting with a reduction in the price OF
shoes and other manufactured
articles. And 80 it runs.
If the farmers and the industrial
workers are to be aligned against
each other, it is of interest to note
the forces which they will be able
to marshal 1t is true that the move
ment has been from the farm to the
city in recent years. The urban pop-
ulation has been built up at the ex-
pense of the rural sections. Easier
life and more pay. Now the farm La
borer is getting more money-$3 or
81, and even IS a day in some locals
ties. Such wages may check this
movement away from the farm. But
than in the past, war or