The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1920-03-03
RETURN OF RAILROADS IS
UNDER REGULATORY LAW
Cummins-Esch Railroad Bill Ex-
planned by Special Newspaper
Writer
lBy j. E. Jones)
The Invisible Line

Congress has worked for ten
years to enact a railroad law, and 1t
has finally performed the task. Ev-
cry person who has had the remotest
interest in railroad problems has
been given an opportunity to be
heard. During the year that has
passed Congress has frequently been
accused of autocracy by the mis-
guided advocates of government
ownership and public management.
But 1t Is absolutely unfair to charge
Congress with being autocratic, even
though the invisible line has often
run thin between democracy and
autocracy In our public affairs. Be-
cause democracy has had to proceed
after the theory outlined by Walt
Whitman, its aims have often been
misconstrued. Thunder on. Stride
on! Democracy. Strike with venge-
full stroke."
Whatever may have been the OBJ
jections against the Cummings-Esch
bills it appears that in their final
passage, according to Senator Len
root, there are only two guaran-
ties In the conference report :.
one guaranty that the owners of
the railroads shall for a period of
six months after March l receive
minimum return equal to the
amounts they have received during
Federal control, and the other
guaranty that the employees of the
roads shall for like period receive
a minimum wage equal to that
which they are now receiving under
Federal control"
Industrial Tribunals
The railroad bill as 1t was passed
by Congress creates a final tribunal
of nine men, three of them selected
from recommendations made by the
railroad owners, three by the rail
way employees, and three represent
ing the public appointed by the
President and confirmed by the Sen
ate. This tribunal Is to adjudicate
disputes between the employers and
employees. Senator Lenroot says:
I'VE have here the recognition that
should have come long ago, that a
dispute between railway employees
and employers Is not merely a pri-
vate quarrel between them but is
matter in which the public has an
interest. That is recognized In the
labor provision of the bill. The fin
al arbiters will be the three men
representing the public and they
can be trusted to do justice II there
be an impartial tribunal appointed,
as l believe there will be-"
The principle established is ident-
ical with that recommended in the
preliminary report of the Presidents
Industrial Conference, which has
been studying the industrial prob
lens for some weeks. The personel
of this group of men Is interesting,
and their names are in themselves a
promise of results. Secretary of
Labor w. B. Wilson is chairman,
Herbert Hoover is vice chairman,
while the additional members are:
Martin II. Glynn, Thomas w. Greg
ory, Richard Hooker, Stanley King,
Samuel W. Mccall, Henry M. Rob-
inson, julius Rosenwald. Oscar s.
Straus, Henry C. Stuart, f. w. Taus-
sig, William o. Thompson, Henry j.
Waters, George w. Wickersham,
Owen ID. Young.
The foregoing commissioners said
in their report that "the frank
meeting of the parties In contro-
versy together with other men skill
ed in questions at issue always gives
promise of settlement" Beyond
this explicit. definition of what is
hoped for is the knowledge which it
now seems is to be applied at a late
hour to industrial affairs that courts
and tribunals are the only sane in
struments that can absolutely func-
tion in disputes, whether the case be
one of simple disagreement between
individuals; or embracing, as in in
dustrial matters, including the rail
roads, the affairs of great numbers
of men.