The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-08-11

crease of $1,25O,0 900 in wages last
year and are now demanding an in
crease of $800,000,000 per year with
threat to tie up the railroads dur
ingthe movement of crops if their de-
mand is refused, is regarded as the
most important question before the
American people since the signing of
the armistice. The entire question
is fairly handled in the Railway Age
in an editorial which follows:
That the leaders of the railroad
labor brotherhoods "are fully pre-
pared to call a general railroad strike
for the purpose of forcing govern
ment ownership and employees
management of the railroads upon the
American people," is the opinion ex-
pressed by the Railway Age in an
editorial in it's current issue. "The
railroad labor leaders are plainly try
ing to create labor situation which
will convince the public and congress
that return to private operation on
January 1, as announced by the Presi-
dent, is impractical" the Railway
Age says, "and it is beyond serious
question that they are prepared to
take the same steps to force congress
to adopt the Plumb Plan of govern
ment ownership that they took to
force congress to pass the Adamson
act.
"There have been sinister rumors
for several weeks that the leaders of
the labor brotherhoods were qquietly
preparing, first, to prevent the return
and then to force government owner
oh,
The shop crafts and Brotherhood of
notice that they will strike unless de-
the Railroad Administration are fa-
Gus strikes of shop employees have |
ominous signs are statements which |
are being made by the labor leaders.
w. G. Lee, president of the Brother
hood of Railway Trainmen, said be-
fore the Board of Railroad Wages and |
Working Conditions in Washington
last week: The war is over, but peace
is not before us, or / am a poor
prophet. We are nearer war today,
[ believe, than when the Kaiser threw
lown the gauntlet L. E. Sheppard,
acting head of the Order of Railway
Conductors, also said: They tell us
hat the railroads are going back in
January, but mark this prediction:
While / am not prophet, or a son of
4 prophet, they will not go back
January L. Warren S. Stone, grand
hief of the Brotherhood of Locomo-
i've Engineers, was quoted in a news
,aper interview as having said re
,arding the agitation for the en-
'loyees' plan of government owner
hip: we will go far enough to win,
nd we are going to win He was
sked: What if the roads are turned
ack to their owners?' He replied
If they should be, they wouldn't stay
here long, and it is not absolutely
ure that they will be turned back by
ext January 5
''Three years ago the country was
iven an example of what Mr.. Stone /
nd his associates mean when they
ay we will go far enough to win t
Declining to submit their basic eight q
our day demand to arbitration in i
ny form, the Big Four Brother
oods frightened congress into pass
lg the Adamson Law by issuing an r
rder for a tie-up of all railroads of S
he United States and refusing to J
it until congress passed the
,gislation that they wanted. The |
ian who doubts that the nation is g
Ding, within the next few months, d
, be brought face to face with a sim
ar crisis is blind. a
"Do the 110,000,000 people of the e
nited States, of whom at least 80 t.
er cent are opposed to government r
vnership and favor a return of the n
ailroads to operation by the COM s
anies, intend to let the labor leaders, n
' threatening or calling strikes, h
rce the tax paying public to buy the c.
lilroads and assume complete re- c.
for their financial results a
Id then force the public to turn the 81
ilroads over to the employees to o.
anage? If the public dosn't intend tt
submit to this, it must begin very OF
on to manifest it's purpose to the Of
resident and the Congress of the m
nited States and to demand that VI
ey adopt effective measures for the nj
blic's protection.
ct is easy to sympathize with the ST
mplaint of the employees that the NJ
nefit of the billion-dollar a year b
vance in wages which has been
ven Jnem unUer government opera I'll
N has been nullified by the in !
ease in the cost of living. The real
estion, however, is whether the rail
~ employees are better entitled to tn
rther advances in wages than the m
blic is to immunity from the in tn
ease in taxes or in freight and pas at
lger rates which further advance wi
wages would make necessary. The be
i'm made for the employees plan to
government ownership and en- an
'yees' management that it would ifc
p increases in the general cost OF no
ing, and even cause reductions in wi
is Of all claims that could be made wi
, most proposterous. 1t is said of
It large saving in the railway fes
,ital charge would be made under cul
S plan because the government of
lid issue bonds bearing per cent to
crest to buy the roads. But every ne
ly knows that the government had au
ally to pay Az per cent interest see
raise money to carry on the war; da
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