Norwich bulletin., 1920-09-14

ms support or the Cummins-Esch act r-storng the railways 10 their owners, | Senator Harding charged in a speech to a delegation of railway workers here | late today that by assuming control of | the roads al all the Wilson administra- ton had sought to promote a policy I based on permanent government opera tion.
 Had the experiment proved a success tie republican nominee declared the ad- would have favored reten- ton Of the transportation lines and oth- CT public utilities under government control. The war, he said. had offered an opportunity to try out the scheme only because it permitted administra- ton officials 10 'tase advantage of the anxieties of the people" in asking au- thority to take over the properties.
 The senator also assailed as ''socialis- tic and revolutionary" the plan sup- ported by some labor leaders to put the railways at the disposal of the railway workers. The Cummins-Esch bill, he said. was the best measure congress could work out in the time allotted and gave to both railway owners and em- ployes a just guarantee Of rights.
 Several hundred union men composing the Harding and Coolidge Railway, club of Marion were in the delegation and they cheered the nominee as he hit at class rule and lauded the labor proyis- i1ns of the act.
 They carried banners expressing their support in such inscriptions The Government Must Change Conductors" Harding Will Not Sideirack Us" and | Safety First, Elect Harding J. W. Roseberry, past president of the local unit of the order of railway train men presented the delegation 10 Senator Harding and told him they hoped by coming to rrove the fallacy of the im- 'pression | ' railway workers are op- posed 10 yvdr candidacy because of your support of the Cummins-Esch act l Conceding that the act was not per ! fect Senator Harding characterized it as ] the most considerate piece of legislation ever enacted in the protection of any group of workmen in the United States.
 When the world war came on, he com tinued, We had gone SO far in restriction and regulation that the governments re- sponse 10 much of the railway batting made it difficult for the railway. IL is not important 10 discuss now whether the railway service was breaking down under the great sirain-put upon -it for lwar service, the country was apprehen- isive and We were all deeply concerned in putting everything that We possessed al the command of the government for the winning of the war. With such a feel ing manifest tnrDuEnoul the country Ilt railroads were taken over for the war Undoubtedly, there was back of the
 movement the insistent forces in our country who believe in government
 ownership of railways. War seemed tc offer the opportunity for the application iof their theories of government. and
 sometimes suspect the taking over of the railways was more impelled by th' thought of modifying our government |-.hI rFa al a service for the conduct Of the war.
 | This suggest ion WAS later on con- Ifrmed by the insistencs of the admin istration that it be given authority tc take over the telephone and telegraph Hines. When congress voted grant oi authority to take over the telephone ant telegraph lines it was expressly stipu lated that no such seizure would b' made unless the exigencies of peril. th' telephone and telegraph lines were seiz led because an administration was ii lpower which was disposed 10 take ad vantage.
 No such seizure would be made. unles: the exiEencies Of war urgently required
 it. but after the authority was given
 without a new exigency having arisei
 and without a single new condition -o
 peril. the telephone and telegraph line
 were seized, because an administration was IT power which was disposed 10 tak' advantage of the anxieties of the people { while involved in war. to completely revo , lutionize our government policy in dealinl ! with these public utilities.
 If the experiment with the railroad
 and these communication lines lad beei successful. it reasonably may be assume . that the policy would have been mad . permanent. Such was the undoubted in . ss-.
 T must emphasize one of the gros
 misunderstanding relating 10 the Cum
 mins- -Esch law IL did not provide for permanent government guarantee of divi
 dends on railway capital On the con trary. it placed ' limit on these dividend! It did provide foc a maintenance of rate for period of six months which woul
 guarantee a sufficient railway Sarnnig |
 make possible the financing of necessar | railway improvements under the cotA-L 4 of their owners. but this guarantee of
 , 1-2 per cent earning was limited 10 tn period of transition of sir months durs ton. and was universally reeo=.=-4- 2
 being necessary becaus of the admitte :, failure of the government to maintain th . railways in a state of preparedness fo efficient service.
 If we had returned the railroads with ? out this temporary guarantee of earning in all probability the great American syy
 tenn would have broken down entirel and we should have found ourselves in | state of railway paralysis which the cour l. try could not tolerate.
 We also stipulated that there shoul : be no reduction of American railwa ' wages during the same period. In othe Fl words, we gave the American railwa
 workman precisely the same guarante
 that we gave to the American owner j and in neither case was this done with | sole thought of owners or of workmel ', but congress was thinking of the welfal v ~ of all the American people. This eve
 must be the thought in mind in dealin
 with any important public question.
 T have already alluded to the restri, Q tions which the government has place | upon railway capital, railway rates an n railway earnings. We have eliminate h Ievery speculative phase of railway oper; z tion until the railway business has b, l. come an extremely conservative one, wit
 nothing left 10 inspire efficiency and pri6
 l in management. except competition s service. We have taken away that in S polling force known as money makir f and reduced railway operation to a SC r vice to the American people. with a vel z limited return made possible on capit t employed. There does remain that con s petition which may aim at superiority l. service. and through that a genuine raj d way genius and talent may continue
 appeal for the approval of their constit