Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-17

got to come sooner or later. Why
not have the showdown now"
Story of Secret Conference.
1t is well known that the Esch
bill was written with the Plumb
and Warf1eld plans laid on the
table before Representative Esch.
The Plumb plan was presented to
the Senate between February Z and
IL and the Warfield plan was out
lined at the same time. The Esch
bill was not introduced until Febru-
airy 81. AS far back as 1910 A. B.
Garretson was on record for gov
eminent ownership and members
of the House committee feel con-
WINGED that Mr.. Garretson is the
real author of the Plumb plan and
that Plumb put the Garretson
ideas into legal phraseology.
1t will be a surprise. however.
even for the railroad brotherhoods
to learn that the republican lead,
ers in Congress had the entire
Plumb plan and the brotherhood
program before them nearly a year
ago. At that time a secret con-
clave of the brotherhood leaders
with some few officers of the
American Federation of Labor was
held here in Washington at which
the principal features of the Plumb
plan were agreed to. and the pro-
gram adopted was first to intro
duce this plan simultaneously in
both the House and Senate. to have
the American Federation of Labor
declare emphatically for it and
then to give Congress an ultimatum
that it must be passed in twenty
days.
High-Handedness Resented.
Certain men in that conclave re-
scented the high handed method
and felt that the people would not
stand for it. The reply Of the
leaders in effect was that the peo-
pie had stood for the Adamson law
and other subsequent demands of
organized labor and would have to
stand for this program. The OBJ
jectors visited Representative Tess
of Ohio and told him the entire
story. They were men of such
standing that while the PROPOSE
tion was so astounding at that
time as to be almost unbelievable.
Representative Tess thought the
republicans should beswarned and
be prepared. So he called some
of the leaders into conference. in
Guiding Representative Esch. who
is now chairman Of the committee
The advocates Of the Plumb plan
were not able to put their pro-
gram through as outlined and it
had to be modified and toned down.
but republican leaders were al
ready forewarned and so prepared,
and thus the Plumb plan did not
create so much of an explosion in
Congress as was anticipated. Re-
publican leaders had a chance to
study up for months and were
ready to meet it with some pune
turing Inquiries.
Esch Bill Provisions.
In the meantime the Esch bill had
been worked up. It provides:
1. Joint use Of terminals, rails
and rolling stock in emergencies.
2. Control Of water Transports
ton as well as rail. in a co-ortii-
mated system.
3. Necessity for new railroads
must be shown before they get
right Of way, thus doing away with
needless duplication.
4. Extension of control over tele-
phone. telegraph and cable lines.
compelling them to file schedules
with the Interstate Commerce
Commission the same as railroads.
s. Permitting member of state
railroad commission sitting with
the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion when a hearing is held over
some rate on which the state is in
terested-thus attempting to OBJ
viate controversy over intra and
interstate regulations.
6. To control the issuance of
stocks and bonds.
z. To declare refrigerator cars as
common carriers.
These are merely some Of the
outstanding features.
Agreed on Amendments.
The committee is pretty we'll
agreed that some OF the amend
ments which must be written into
the Esch bill are:
1. A provision for temporary
financing OF the railroads after
they have been returned to private
ownership.
2. Retention or creation of new
district traffic committees under
direction Of the Interstate Com
merce Commission.
3. There must be some provision
to take care Of inland water trans
portation now under federal con-
troll on the lower Mississippi and
Black Warrior rivers and to be ex-
tended to the UP per Mississippi and
other navigable waters. These are
now under the director senera1 and
when federal control ceases some
other method Of handling the lows
and barges under contract must
be provided.
4. There doubtless ought to be
an enlargement of the Interstate
Commerce Commission to enable
it to take care Of the vast in
crease of work which will result
from giving 1t control over stock
and bond issues. as provided in the
Esch bill.
A careful poll of the House has
shown that it is not in sympathy
with any bizarre, revolutionary or
class legislation as regards the
railroads. but that it is for conserva-
tive action, restoring the proper
ties to private ownership with