The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-09-29
THE FORUM
By FRANK A. IRWIN.

"1en ii. -. LdWTGuCe, VI DdhSAiC,
| ILL.,, addressed the workers of the
Pennsy railroad, he misrepresented
one of the most vital provisions or
| the Cummins-Esch bill.
Mr. Lawrence says: 1.-THE freedom
of labor is not taken away by the
Cummins-Esch law"
/ say that it was.
For proof I point to Title 90 of the
act, which is devoted to disputes of
carriers and their employees and subor-
| dinate officials" 1t creates a labor
| board composed Of nine members;
three appointed by the president FROM
nominees made by the carriers; three
appointed in like manner from nomi'
nees made by the employees, and three
representing the public. 1t is made
| the duty of the labor board to hear
and decide ANY disputes involving
grievances, rules or working condi-
| lions" which have not been determin
ed by any adjustment board, and to
hear and determine upon the applica-
| ton of the president Of any railroad or
| the chief Of any labor organization,
any dispute with respect to wages or
salaries of employees or subordinate
officials. The decision must be agreed
upon by the majority of the board.
and if an agreement made by any rail-
road or by any organization be such
| that the increase in wages OF salaries
therein provided for be likely to re-
quire a substantial readjustment of
rates, the labor board may reverse
such agreement, and before it can
be effective, it must be approved by
the decision of at least five of its
members, one Of whom shall represent
the public.
| Heretofore labor organizations have
been free to deal with railroad ex.
ecutives and reach such agreements
as may be decided upon. That was
the freedom of organized labor before
| the passage of the Cumins-Esch bill
| but now this bill so facilitates collcc-
/ tive bargaining that no such agree
ments-if it raises wages so as to ef-
feet rates-can become effective with
out the approval of at least five mem
bers, one of whom must be public
representative.
( Suppose all the railroad officers and
/ all the organization officers were
| agreed that the result of their former
freedom of collective bargaining would
prove beneficial to the service. They
can not carry that agreement into eff
feet unless they also convince one
public representative on the board
that it is essential and if one public
representative was so convinced the
three railroad representatives by vot-
; ing in opposition could thereby pre-
vent any agreement between the rail
roads and the labor organizations.
At a meeting of labor representa-
tives and members of congress in the
house office building preceding the
vote, Samuel Gompers read a telegram
sent out from Washington to railroad
officials by Alfred P. Thorn, general
counsel of the Railroad Executives
association, in which they are told
that the only difference between the
anti-strike clause of the Cummins
bill and the labor provisions of the
conference report is that in the former
a penalty is affixed which has to be
tried by jury, while in the latter
an injunction method will be followed,
and the penalty fixed and assessed
by court in contempt proceedings
and not by a jury, which he thinks is
best for the railroads, as more eff
fective, and because it would be
harder to convict a union man by a
jury"
Mr.. Lawrence says that we have
no more reason to condemn Senator
| AAoi ui1S Aol ilS Idllulc W SuQpOTL Inc
Plumb Plan than we have to condemn
the American Federation of Labor for
its actions" True, we have not, but
the American Federation of Labor
went on record against the Transport
tation Act of 1920, and suggested in.
stead Government ownership and
Democratic Operation. I am sure this
solution would be just as agreeable
to the railroad workers as the Plumb
Plan but the Plumb Plan would more
! than likely prove more agreeable to
our countrys majority.
And finally, in answer to my cues
ton of why did Senator Harding
vote for the Cummins-Esch bill, in it's
original form with the anti-strike
clause if he did not want the rights
of labor molested." Mr. Lawrence
stated that he did it as a war meas
ure such as the Lever act" The fur
ny part of it was that Senator Harding
happened to be one of the 80 SEM.
| tors that was afraid to face the music
so were absent on the. day of, the
| voting.
Do az