Norwich bulletin., 1920-02-20
Labor Opposes New
 Draft Railroad BiII
Leaders Claim It to Be De structive of the Employees Constitutional Privileges and Liberties.


 Washington, Feb. 1s.-organized railroad workers and union labor in general, holding the re-drafted rail- road reorganization bill to be de- structive of the employees constitu- tIonal privileges and liberties tonight called on congress to defeat the measure in its entirety.
 Representative of the fifteen rail road unions at the close Of an all day conference, attended by President Gompers and Secretary Morrison of the American Federation of Labor, made public a memorial to congress embodying this declaration:
 "The pending bill deprives citizens employed upon railways of the in violate right. to enjoy gains of their own industry. The returns to capital are fixed upon an arbitrary basis, the rate which the public must pay and wages which labor must receive must accommodate themselves to this basis fixed for capital. This act makes the public and labor subservient to. capi- tai For these reasons herein set forth and many others, we request and respectfully urge that the bill be defeated in it's ent1gety.'
 During the all da& conference in- formation was given out that letters of protest against the wage proVis- ions of the bill would be sent to President Wilson and Director Gen. eral Hines Later it was decided to make the first fight in congress, and intimations were given that if defeat Led there.athe workers then would car ry the battle to the White House, hoping that the president might veto the legislation.
 The memorial, addressed to the people of the United States as well as the two houses of congress. de- clares that the bill in enunciating a principle for passing the financial re- turn of investors subverts the prin- ciples of American government. This provision, the memorial holds would constitute "an abandonment of gov ernmen0 for the common good the es- tablishnent of government for pri- vate interest special privilege and class benefits.
 Provisions of the measure for ar bitration of disputes are attacked be- cause of the manner in which the special arbitration boards would be constituted and because of the way in which they would operate. The ar bitration boards, including the per manent federal board of nine mem | bers, might be so composed the me morial declares. as to eliminate labor from representation. Procedure of these boards as set forth in the bill, the memorial states. would destroy all discipline and lead to chaos.' While the labor representatives were in session, Director General Hines in conference with 8 committee of leading railroad executives receiv- ed pledge of their cooperation in i the establishment of a committee o1 1 experts to gather data bearing on the wage problem. The executives ex- pressed a desire that solution of the wage problem be expedited and Mir Hines said that the time and method l of constituting the committee of ex- ! perts would be recommended to the 1 president as soon as a conference with the railroad union officials could 1 be held.
 Forecast;ng at least one aspect ol i the final fight to be made on the re- l organization bill in the house, Rep sentative Barkley, democrat, Ken lucky, filed late today a statement O | reasons for refusing to join in ap- proving the conference compromise measure, which he attacked as con. ferring financial favcra on the l carriers that would force increased
 rates aggregating s1,250,0 GOO, ant add to the cost of living generally. With Representative Sims, demo
 crat, Tennessee; who also declined t'
 sign the conference report. MT. Bark ley will lead the floor fight on tn, i bill, in which most of the democrat are expected to be supported by
 few republicans. Proponents of tn
 measure, however. were confiden
 that the compromise bill will be ap proved by the house before adjourn
 ment Saturday.
 The financial favors," MT Barl1le,
 charged, were to be attributed to tn
 work of high salaried agents" o
 railpoad security holders, who "hav
 camped on the doorsteps of congres
 for more than year,
 Attacking the financial provision
 of the bill. in this connection, MT
 Ba-r1--c-1 declared it is almost inc6n
 ceivable that congress could be in
 duced to adopt such a course" refer
 ring particularly to the provision
 that rates yielding six per cent. ol
 the book value of the roads, with an
 excess earnings be divided betweei
 the carriers and the government s
 as to create jackpot" to aid veal
 lines.
 In his statement. the Kentuck.
 representative revealed that the con
 ferees on railroad legislation expec
 congress soon to be asked for an ap
 propriation of $500, 600. O00 to wind U
 the affairs of the railroad admins that an exact statement of these fl
 nanc;al needs was expected to b
 given the house Saturday