Milford chronicle., 1920-01-02
UNCLE TED'S
BED TIME STORIES
Current Events for the Children
and Grown-Ups, Too
JACKS GRANDPA AND THE
CUMMINS BILL

and they had a wonderful time coast
ing on their new sleds, skating on tn,
river and sleigh riding through the ole
pine woods.
Uncle Ted" spoke up Jack. "wha
was Grandpa so mad about the day
you and Dad were talking with hin
in the big sleigh?"
1--WE were talking about the rail
roads, Jack, and what would be done
with the Cummins bill to return them
to their owners. But before | can tell
YOU why your Grandfather was so an
CRY / must explain a few things. You
will remember a long time ago I told
you and Ruth about the Plumb plan
which would give the railroads to the
men who run the trains, making the
people of the United States pay for
them. Then. not so long ago | told
YOU all about this Cummins bill. nam
ed after Senator Albert B. Cummins
of Iowa who spent months and months
trying to get a bill written which
would make it possible to turn the
railroads back to their owners and
put a stop to the government running
them. 1t is by far the best bill that
has been written to take care of that
situation, One part of it, called the
anti-strike clause, | also explained
This clause would make it impossible
for two or more railroad men to strike,
that is, quit work with a view of tying
up transportation and causing starva-
ton and suffering for lack of trains
with which to carry food"
Can they do that now?" asked Ruth.
"Yes, they can. There is no law to
stop it; but with part of the Cummins
bill made a law they could not. And
the Cummins bill furnishes a much
more fair way for the railroad men to
settle all their troubles. 1t provides
for a Committee of Wages and Work
ing Conditions and three Regional
Boards of Adjustment Labor is rep
resented on all these committees and
the men would have a much better
chance of getting justice than under
the old plan of striking, not to men
ton the horrible suffering a railroad
strike would cause. The Senate talk
ed about this bill from December End
to December goth when it was passed
by a vote of 46 to 90 1t was passed
without any important changes from
the way it was written by Senator
Cummins and those who helped him. /
There was a big fight over the anti
strike clause though. The railroad .
men didn't want that. of course, and /
gave as their excuse that it would .
make it impossible for men to quit /
work That is not true. There is
nothing in the bill to prevent man
from quitting his work any time and
any place he wants, but it does pro-
vide punishment, as it should for two
or men to strike and tie up the rail
roads. Senator Robert NJ. LaFOllette
of Wisconsin spoke against the bill
for days and days and again spoke for
four hours on the day it was passed.
He finally tried to get bill of his own
passed in place of the Cummins bill
but it was defeated by a vote of 65 to
H. is bill would have kept the rail-
roads under Government control for
two more years"
rs the bill law now?' asked Jack.
mo, Jack, the bill is being talked
over and worked over by a body of
men from both the Senate and the
1use of Representatives to adjust the
differences between the Cummins bill 7
and the railroad bill passed by the
llOuoG CdllGu lllG IAoGn DAAls AAGAAAGu AOA
John j. Esch of Wisconsin Now to ,
answer your first question, Jack. as
20 why Grandfather was angry that 7
lay. Your grandfather is a farmer [
md like the majority of the farmers
If the country he is against the gov !
srnment owning or running the rail {
'Oads He was saying that the farm :
RS have been quoted as being in favor s
If government ownership of the roads, {
which is not true, and he fears that \
Turing the meeting of the men I just {
old you about the important anti q
trike clause may be taken out" c
who said the farmers were against 4
he Cummins bill?" asked Jack. 4
Men who make it a business to O
lain to represent groups of men in a
Washington, and who say they have S
he interest of the farmers 1t heart. s
they do not represent the farmers. a
'here is an organization known as the Z
National Grange, claiming to have a n
of more than 100000 N
armers which really does represent t
he farmers. The man who represents A
his organization in Washington, Prof
'. c. Atkeson, says the farmeis won't
ave anything put over on them. The
yeek before the bill passed the Sen
te, twenty-seven men went to the
White House to protest against re- II
lrning the railroads to their owners q
Dr. at least two years. The stories
nat were printed in the newspapers u
t that time said that these mel were Il
c I;iT iittiiiis G2c!cn iahG: 2:s$i. ttiiS ttiiSS
irmers' organization. Prof. Akeson h
ays, This is a fallacy' Chat is, a lie
-ory), and that There was a large
umber of union labor men there, all M
ght, but only two men claimed to C'
spresent the farmers of the country a
e says also that the great farmers
rganizations are for the mos part fr
earthly in favor of the Cummiis BILL
nd bitterly opposed to the govern NJ
ent keeping the railroads. Before Ii
le bill was voted on, this man sent
tier to Senator Cummins in which Cl
2 urged that the railroads be turned th
ick to their owners as soon as Dossi- I.
e. This same man says that the per-
ms who have tried to make Teople a
slieve that the organized fasmers M
vOr government ownership arr not
rmers themselves and do not tepre- II
mt any considerable proportbn of in
e men and women actually engaged
farming Last November thissame da
rmers' organization at is fiftythird W
lnual session at Grand Rapids, tIich.,
opted a resolution which Alows he
here they stand. l will read it to Gl
u. We declare our opposition to pr
ownership and to nation
ization of business and industrv un- T..
IS clearly required in the pubic in lal
rest. We favor the safeguarding and