The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1920-01-09
LIMIT
Of LEGISLATIVE
SCOUNDRELISM
BY Charles N Kelley

force through the Cummins railroa
return bill. with its anti-strike prc
| visions agains the workers an
many clauses that are inimical I
tas best interests Of the people.
.oerelng the members Of tn
Senate into support OF the measur
| IS threat to cheat them Of a hol
iday recess unless railroad legisla
tion were approved, the spokesmer
tC- Wall street then deliberately de
' lied honored Senate precedent fl
the selection OF conferees and pack
ed that body with Senators who lacl
& single interest in common witt
the majority OF Americans.
Under the immemorial custom.
Of the Senate, the conferees should
have been three ranking Republic
ans and two ranking Democrats OF
the Committee on Interstate and
Foreign Commerce. If this prece-
dent had been followed. Senator La
Toilette would have been chosen in
behalf OF the Republicans. and SEN
stor Smith. Of South Carolina. in
behalf of the Democrats.
But Wall Street did not want La
Toilette or Smith on the Conference
4 mittee, and what Wall Street
wants it generally gets from this as
. sembly. Senator Kellogg. of Mime
sofa, and Senator Robinson. OF Ar
4 kansas, were named instead of the
/ ranking members Of the Committee,
and Senator Cummins has a solid
delegation committed to the Rail-
way Associations plan for the re-
turn Of the railroads to private
control
While the House and Senate CON
terees are wrangling over a compro-
mise bill, it is generally conceded
that the Senate representatives will
remain firm for the anti-strike
clause, which has for its object
the Stacking of labor, to check any
possible protest against the iniuuity
Of law conceived solely in the in
terest of the railroad interests. 1t
first turns over the nation to the
tender mercies OF Wall Street. opens
the treasury to stock gamblers and
manipulators, imposes a colossal
subsidy that will be reflected in
higher consumption cost. and then
reduces the status OF railroad work |
ers to that Of chattel slaves.
McKellar's Annoying Question
Senator Mcclellan, Of Tennessee. /
has propounded a question to his
colleagues in the Senate that is Civ
ing them great deal of worry.
What excuse can Congress give
tor turning the railroads back to
private ownership" he asks. with
the consequent necessity of in
ereasing freight and passenger
rates 20 to 80 per cent. when under
present conditions the railroads are
paying their owners ; per cent on
eighteen billion dollars and earning
their own way?"
No one in the Senate attempted to
answer that question, because the
only possible excuse is that Wall
street is demanding the most stu
pendous subsidy in all history.
Since July the railroads have not
only paid a return to the owners Of
the railroads which Senator Cum
MINIS has described as so large az
to shock the moral sense of man.
kind, but they have also produced
net profit for the Government
The railroads are paying their wav
lespite the fact that the manage
nents of many railways are delhi
.rately sabotaging the Government
ma leaving nothing undone to make
'peration and maintenance as ex-
'ensiye as possible.
This must appeal to the average
ma unprecedented American citizen
IS rather happy state of affairs
But it does not satisfy Wall
street and. it seemingly does not
atisfy a number Of Senators.
Wall Street and its supporters do
land not only a return OF the rail
Dads to private control, but they
emand the validating of $1,000
10000 of fraudulent stock and
hey demand a freight increase an
roximating nearly billion dollars
year Railroad Director Hines
as stated that this increase will be
four-fold in an increased
DIST Of commodities, or practically
our billions of dollars. which the
onsuming public will be compelled
assume in addition to the already
lrdensome high cost of existence.
And yet that is not all that wall