The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-13

transportation industrial problem.
 But 1t does not matter very much ' he went on "because we can elect to the next congress enough men to approve our plan. And if by any chance we failed by the next Con gross we should certainly succeed with the one after that"
 Have you any thought of formin g a new party?" he was asked as he returned to his bowl of haIf-and- half The conversation took place at lunch. Why should we?" he countered. The political history of the country shows that whenever radical doctrines are taken up the first instinct of their supporters is to turn to existing par ties. Abolition and prohibition are examples"
 Hadn't Heard of New Hearst Party. But fl has been stated that MT. radical party"
 "Is that so?'' replied Mir Plumb indifferently. "I hadn't heard of it. Tt has also been suggested by those [ who know of MT. Hearsts intention that you plan to join forces with him."
 What you mean" corrected MT. Plumb. gently, "is that Mir Hearst might want to join forces with us. do not think we should join forces with him. But it does not matter a great deal who forms a new party or whether a new party is formed. What we want to do is to utilize the existing machinery of the old parties, if fl is possible to do so. It would save effort and time. We want to accomplish what we are after as soon as possible. But if we cannot utilize the old parties. either or cOth of them. then. I grant you, we might adopt whatever party proclaimed a platform to suit us. My own convic- ton is that we shall be able to sue ceed through the old parties.'
 When you say we whom do you mean 2"
 ''I mean organized labor. five and a half million of 'us'-alI the organ ized labor of the country except the western miners and the I. w. W"
 Ut has been charged that organ ized labor, outside of the railroad brotherhoods. has never really been canvassed on the question" Mir. Plumb was told.
 Calls Progress Startling.
 That is not true" he returned. The Plumb plan was started on Jan. 25 last. Actually, however, the cam paisn in support of it is no more than
 
 with which 1t has been accepted by labor-and I am not speaking now merely of the Atlantic City conven- ton of the A. F. of L-has been startling. We have heard no dissent ing voices
 MT Plumb abandoned the half-and- half and attacked a large plnte of peach pie, upon which vas superim- posed a. mass of ice cream. MT. Plumb is a stocky, squarely-built man of fifty-odd. with a ruddy, almost a con geSted complexion, and large grey eyes. He is quiet in speech and de- liberate in manner. There is nothing about him of the demagogue or agitator. He looks like what he is q corporation lawyer, who branch ed out into an entirely new field of corporation work He speaks with conviction, but without egotism. He is very willing to listen to an oppos- ing argument. In fact, he stressed this aspect of his own character in his next remark.
 Denies Its Bo!shcvistic.
 '1 said we have heard no dissent ing voices,' he went on, after a mo- ment. "Of course. I mean in the ranks of organized labor. We have heard plnety of dissent in the news papers, and we don't mind this. We are glad to argue the question out with anybody who wants to argue it fairly and give and accept facts. But if I may be permitted to say so. there is one kind of argument that is get ting our opponents nowhere. That is the vituperation and denunciation which is practiced by most ofthe newspapers of New York-and other large cities too. You know. you can't defeat this plan of ours by calling it Bolshevistic, or saying that 1t seeks to destroy property, or that we are setting up a Soviet. Such statements are not true. Therefore. they help nobody to get anywhere" "It seems to be quite generally be- leved that such a scheme of joint management as you propose bears a marked resemblance to the Soviet theory was pointed out. Then that belef is without foun- dation." asserted MT. Plumb. That is. if l have a correct understanding of what the Soviet organization is. Tho Soviet as I understand it. is in tended to be for the benefit only of the producers belonging to 1t. Under our plan. the railroads. Jointly con- trolled by representatives of the la bor involved. the management and the public, as represented by the gov ernment WOulu De toHdutLtu AOI tiie' benefit of the public, as well as of the people employed on them. That | is the feature which distinguishes our plan from any other which has been 1 advocated in any part of the world. l As for property, we would not destroy ] it. We would continue to pay the | just rate of return upon fl. The new | thing we should accomplish would be | the inauguration of fair terms for la | bor The railroad man would be able | to control his own destiny and would | be assured of decent living condi- ! tions."
 "Yes, and would not every other | class of labor demand the same tn- | novations?"
 T do not claim that this plan is | adaptable to any except public ser | vice industries. It is a different mat | ter when you get to industries which | do not operate on basic grant o1 | property rights from the govern | ment.'
 Not Applicable to Coal Mines. How about coal mines?'' "I don't think it is applicable te | them. You have an entirely different | proposition there-the element o1 | private property"
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