New-York tribune., 1920-03-08
Radicals Keep
! Unrest Aflane
In Rail Unions
eorine From Within by Di.
rect Actionists Fruitful in
n;scontent Threatening
70 Unseat Conservatives
| Force Hands of Leaders
Men Little Interested in
Chiefs A DIV oc &C y of
Government Ownership
By Stanley Frost
e...,el p;.poteA 20 IA. Tro~x.

WASHINGTON, March 7.- There
x.r. more signs Of unrest and discon-
,.,t among railroad workers under gov
lament control than In any similar
~riod Of tine since the great strikes
- 1893, yet the union leaders have
-.ss It clear that they are extremely
.r,ious to have Federal control con-
lsnued and turned into government
ownership Of some kind, If possible.
The evidence Of unrest are many
ne repeated threats Of a general rail-
mad strike, the immense wage demands
,hich are pending, the flood Of COM
,,.ints before the Wage Board and the
many unauthorized local strikes
throughout the country. The demand
icr government ownership is equally
unmistakable; 1t has been trumpeted
nth the full lung power. Of the organ
isations.
Awards Called Generally Fair
The causes Of this contradictory con-
ltion must be sought outside the
handling Of labor problems by the rail
,oad administration. It Is admitted by
10th workers and railroad men that the
Lane commission and then the Wage
I Board did all that was possible in the
vsy Of fairness and even generosity in
. yisw of the conditions under which
shey worked There have been many
/ inequalities in the results. which have
contributed their quota to the discon>
tent, but it is doubtful whether thew
4 could be avoided under any system
which requires uniform treatment for
tho whole country. 1t Is not likely that
many, if any, of them can be corrected
By the bipartisan board now being
formed, which will avoid all the feat
rres Of government control except the
vital one Of q centralized attempt to
solve conflicting local problems.
The specific cases Of unrest due to
these inequalities are localized, and are
mostly due to competitive conditions
which the centralized boards cannot
meet. An example was the attempt to
reach an agreement with Pittsburgh
employers regarding wages Of unskilled
labor. The Pittsburghers insisted on
,stting their scale two cents an hour
higher than the railroads did. To meet
this 1t would have been necessary for
Tie government to increase by those
Two cents the wages of 100000 un-
skilled workers all over the country, a
matter Of around $4,000 a day, to cure
condition in territory hardly twenty
miles square. OF course, the govern
ment could do nothing but take tho
sayings Of the Pittsburgh labor mar
iet and accept discomfort among its
men there.
High Pay in Luxury Belt
The area in which similar condi-
ions hold is roughly the belt along
,as lakes, including Buffalo, Cleveland,
Detroit and Chicago, and then extend
ing west to Kansas City. This is the
area OF the ranufacture of many lux
uries, particularly automobiles. and
Employers in it are able to pay almost
any wages they please. The scales
there are we'll above anything that the
sovernmcnt could afford to paw rail-
'Oad labor for the whole country-and
t could not discriminate in favor Of
nat particular belt. Hence the dis
content. Nearly two-thirds of all the
fsllroad labor trouble arises in this
region.
The reasons for the demand for gov
1'nment control, If not ownership, are
seaf enough. The union leaders have
lound that it simplided their work. The
single board was easier to deal with,
! was easier to prepare cases for
ssearng. Moreover, 1t was possible to
vaIlng political pressure to bear. Then
nero have been the big wage in
.,Ieases. q, Finally, the political plans Of
.ae leaders could be carried out more
sasn9 II the government were in con-
MOL Inis Is the position Of the lead
US; I, Railroad men outside the unions
ssse sseeiase that the members are very
..s ..sle interested In this phase Of the
me rsal causes s7 the general un.
tts'2 or Of the appearance Of unrest
sne unions are two. The first IL
ssdss the directors, and to q considers-
Ss extent the men behind them. have
osen playing poker" The chance has
sssmed ss..; good to them to improve their
sisn.S sysa9n IN many ways, and they have
sS Eaysd their cards for ell they were
hvs.n-and hs.s little more. There has
Saa. Sssn Z good deal Of bluff about tho
a..s sases Of q general strike, as ap-
ss ssssea IN behalf Of the Plumb plan, q
;,isss ;,iaI which. was dropped when it
u.s sa 20 work. SO the most spectao-
s. MAY Of the signs Of discomfort have
0esn artificial.
Radicals Bored From Within
NJ. oaoerneath there have been mutter-
ei ana growlings Of which the pub
.S,u ~ a.s heard little. These have BEEN
iIstmpsomat1c istapp Of the general unrest in
-.or throughout tho country, and have
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