Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-01-31
|||||Do||lII.IIION
i LABOR AND
LEARNERS seen


lslaned 1rom Pase ons)
y ~ Plumb plan league for the
1Doeo Of making II appear that
~ entDers want . continued OPP
ene0f The railroads By the gov
- Ccncrstely. they do not
1870 n increase IN freight rates
nn follow the return to private
2cn1eol becsase the government Is
~ 1pwing . surplus In railroad
pGe$1on, and II the increase were
4 11esGury, The farmer isn't ~ much
ooNeeFned about II ~ he ID about
zeteat distribution. Abstractly,
~ z11mera' organisations declare
hslf whole protest Is against ma
tlonallaAtton OF industry In any
hmm and that their present con-
pAf1ou In Washington IL to i'm
1Doo Bociaiistic elements every
where that they cannot count on
~ support OF the farmers.
Politics Have Part.
T4s whole thing is more or less
INfADped MP In national politics.. 1t
= tru0 that parry lines are not yet
c16afIy defined. There seems to be
~ peap0nderant sentiment among
49, Democrats who have taken q
4 tennd, however, which indicates
uympsthy with the Bryan wing oil
tie party where the slant or fiirta-
Nan With socialism is not altogeth-
~ concealed.
8 Among the Republicans the PEN
N1Mlum tends TO swing against gov.
sntnment ownership and toward the
bthW extreme. q phase that may
hr6w tho support Of organized Ia
por toward the Democratic side
While pushing the farmers into the
bosom of the Republicans.
Just now tho railroad bill is tied
I NJ III conference between the house
and aenAte. The railroad brother
hoods see not only . possible
chance some day OF putting through
he Plumb plan with share II
The profits OF railroad management
but they feel the present wage
ecale may not be perpetuated once
fh6 railroads 30 back to private
banda. So, both abstractly and con
cretely. they are fighting tooth ant
nail for postponement Of tn,
whole issue beyond the next cleo
tipn Il least. Obviously they woult
iFork for the election OF a congress
that would be pledged to an exten
sbion OF the period OF government
operation. The farmers. on tn
pther hand, would be compelled t
harry the matter into tho campaign
and support congressional candl
dates who would be pledged to re
turn the railroads at once to thei
owners.
M Pressure on Congress.
Pressure is being brought t
bear by the farmers on the Repub
licAn congress to take the respon
ability and 90 forward with thu
legislation. but pressure will b.
correspondingly brought by tn
railroad employees to persuade
President Wilson to veto the meas
uYes. The farmers organization
which are meeting here and adopt
ing resolutions designed to shov
that millions of farmers want tn,
railroads turned back to their own
ers are represented here by leg
1slative committee who are said I,
feel confident that II 1t ever cam,
to . showdown, enough strength
could be mustered to pass the rail
road bill over Mr.. Wilson's sug
gsstcd veto. They point to wha'
was done with the daylight saving
Law which city interests and Presi
dent Wilson failed to keep In thu
statute books.
Politically speaking. the align
ments are becoming clearer. TIL,
farmers and labor have in common
good citizenship, good government
and other broad interests, but OF
economic grounds they are reveal
cd this week as political foes Of Thu
Immediate future.