Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-02-24
LABOR THINKS
WILSON WILL
VETO RAIL BILL
Measure Passed Yesterday Ex-
pected to Receive Presi-
dents Attention Today.
SENATE FOR IT 3 TO 1

WASHINGTON, Feb 24.-Railroad
union men today are confident the
president will veto the Esch- Cummins
railroad bill
The measure, passed bp the senate late
yesterday and by the house Saturday
was expected to be sent to the white
house today.
The president has drafted reply tc
the request of the representatives OF
the railroad workers that be appoint
at once a tribunal OF employers and en-
ployes to adjust railroad wage demands
End 1t will be transmitted to the rail
read conference now in session. 1t is
understood the president will state that
lie can not appoint such a commission
until he has->actcd upon the Cummfns-
Esch bill, which provides for a labor
adjustment board.
DEPEND ON PROMISE
OF SQUARE DEAL"
The railroad mems confidence of a
presidential veto is based on what they
interpret as promises of square dear
made by the president last summer when
he asked them to postpone pressing their
wage demands pending result of the gov
ernment's efforts to bring down prices.
What action Mr.. Wilson takes on the
by the advice of Rail Director Hines
whose attitude toward it is more or less
Of a mystery. Both opponents and
friends of the measure claim his sup
port. In Louisville recently Hines spoke
in defense of government control. The
Plumb plan league had this speech
printed and mailed to thousands of per
sons, as they regarded it an argument
for continuation Of federal control Then
at a recent meeting attended by congress
men and union men Hines was accused
OF being the author of the labor sections
ofthe measure. Hines denied this in 4
letter which was put into the congress
sional record.
PRIVATE CONTROL
To BE RESUMED MARCH 1.
On the other hand, notification was
sentAto all railroads through Hines yes
terday that the roads would go back TO
private control March l and friends of
the bill took this to mean that the
president would sign the bill Hines
sent this notice two hours before the
senate voted on the conference report. ~
What would follow a veto is uncertain.
1t is generally believed that not enough
votes could be mustered in the house to
pass the bill over the. Veto But the
senate apparently would override it.
The vote yesterday was At to IL. One of
The principal objections the president
probably viii take into consideration in
deciding whether to veto the bill is its
guarantee to the roads Of 5l2 per cent
let operating income. Some congress
men consider this provision unconsti-
utional. Petitions have been received
rom farmers objecting to it.
Several hundred railroad union officials
we're here today TO direct wage negOtia-
ions with President Wilson. Each Of
he fourteen big rail unions is represent
ID by local officials from all parts Of the
country.
Conferences will continue all dag, off
.ials expected The conferences were sec
ional. Officials Of each union met in exec
tive session to pass on the negotiations
With the president and devise new plans.
general conference of all the unions
vas to be called as soon as the sectional
meetings were finished. Chief executives
II the unions expected this general con-
ference would be today. "a -r
PASSED BY 8 TO 1
VOTE OF SENATE.
By vote Of nearly to 1 the senate
last night passed the measure.
Thirty-tTO republicans Joined with
fifteen democrats in voting for adoption
Of the conference report, while three re-
publicans and fourteen democrats COM
prised the seventeen voting against IT.
There was never any doubt as to what
the senate would do. in view g the wide
margin by which the Cummins bill more
drastic than the compromise measure,
was passed
During the five hours of debate, led
by Chairman Cummins of the interstate
commerce committee, senators expressed
varying opinions as TO how the public
and the railroads would fare under the
bill, which was warmly defended and
attacked. But the intense interest
which characterized proceedings Satur-
day in the house was lacking, frequent
quorum calls being necessary to get
members in the chamber Around c
o'clock the patience of the senate ap-
parently was exhausted after the long
season of speech making and fnsistent
demands for a vote cut short the desire
to prolong the presentation Of individual
views
LABOR AND RATE MAKING
CHIEF DISCUSSION.
Discussion yesterday related largely TO
the labor and rate making provisions.
Senator Cummins, with great feeling, de-
nounced widespread claims that in fix
ing freight and passenger charges cal
culated to give the roads return Of
5lA per cent meant taking huge sums
OF money from the public treasury. The
bill, he declared, would not take one
dollar in that way. Such reports. he
said, were merely part of the propa
ganda put forth in an effort to defeat all
legislation on the eve of return of the
roads to their owners on March 1.
Announcement vas made that if SEN
ator Hitchcock, Nebraska: STANLEY. Ken
lucky, and Chamberlain, Oregon. all dem
dfrats, had been present they would have
vdxed In support Of the conference report
Senator Myers, democrat. Montana
attacked organized labor for its attitude
toward the railroad bill ard other meas
ures.
Organized labor is the greatest mem
ace before the country today" he said.
Labor had gone into politics and If YOU
get through one out of three bills on
posed by Gompers I should think the
country Is doing we'll"
HOW SENATORS
VOTED ON MEASURE.
The vote in the senate on the railroad
conference report follows:
FOR THE REPORT.
Republicans.
Ball, Lodge
Brandegce, Mclean
Calder, AIcNarr
CanDar