The Connecticut labor press., 1919-09-20
FOURTEEN BROTHERHOOD CHIEFS
 DISCUSS CJMMINS RAILROAD BILL
Charles Moore of Hartford Calls Upon Chairman General Committee of Adjustment and Says
 Plumb Plan Should Adopted

Charles Moore of Hartford, of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, was in New Haven this week and called upon F. F. Evans, chairman gen eral committee of adjustment of the | New York, New Haven & Hartford railroad. To a reporter for The Con- necticut Labor Press, MT. Moore said l he had given much study to the vari- ous plans about the railroads of this country and he was sure that the Plumb | plan excelled all others.
 The following statement, discussing the provisions of the Cummins railroad bill was issued by the IA brotherhoods' chiefs on September IA:
 The Cummins railroad bill, intro duced i'll the Senate on September 8, carries a provision removing from labor the right to strike, and making strikes l illegal. The exact language of this pro- vision is as follows:
 It two or more persons enter into any combination or agreement with the intent substantially to hinder, restrain or prevent the movement of commo- dities or persons in interstate com- merce; or enter into any combination or agreement which substantially hind CTS, restraints or prevents the movement of commodities or persons in interstate commerce, such persons so combining and agreeing shall be deemed guilty of a conspiracy, and shall be punished by fine not exceeding $500, or by imprison- ment not exceeding six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment; pro- vided, that nothing herein shall be taken to deny to any individual the right to quit his employment for any reason.'
 
 it illegal to strike with intent to hinder make it illegal to enter into any com bination or agreement which does hinder interstate commerce. Intent would not have to be proved in the courts. Thus the provision is iron-c1ad, for any strike on the railroads, of how ever small proportions, would unques- tionably hinder interstate commerce The provision is carefully written to remove from railway labor the right to strike under any possible circumstances. If this provision were enacted into law, it would impose upon railway labor two insupportab1e conditions namely, compulsory arbitration and economic servitude. Such serious and funda- mental proposal opens up the whole question of the relations of labor to the oI1IN cl11N IO LAAC dllO pICClpl- tates every issue in the industrial situa- tion. To advance it in Congress at this time, in the face of an economic crisis, and when Congress is refusing the legitimate requests of railway labor for a full consideration of it's own propo- sals, is a step calculated only further to increase the difficulties that confront the nation
 "The right to strike as the last resort is ingrained in the nature of the Amer ican workingrnan; he has inherited it from the Declaration of Independence, from the Constitution of the United States, from every tradition of this free people, from every achievement in the history of our great nation. If he failed to cherish his economic freedom, he would no longer be true American To attempt to put such prohibftive law into operation, therefore, would be madness. No leadership in the world could restrain the rank and file of American labor under such an imposi- tion; the human factors called forth would be beyond control.