The Glenwood post., 1921-01-08
uaeIe Tets Bed Time Stories
Current Events For the Children
and Grown-ups, Too
SQUARE DEAL FOR THE PEOPLE.


"But Nettie IS father says 1t is jus,
the same as slavery exclaimed Ruth,
in the midst of dispute with her
brother Jack, "and 1 don't like any
thing that is like slavery"
"Well, know it isn't anything of
the kind, for 1 read in the paper 81
report of speech by man in Con-
gress, who said that if that law is
passed, any man can quit his job any
time he wants to-" replied Jack.
"What's up, what's up inquired
Uncle Ted, from his easy chair, where
he had been reading the evening paper
while the children were preparing their
contribution to the "Current Events'
recitation for the next day at school.
"It's just this way" explained
Jack: "When the teacher asks for cur
rent events in school tomorrow, Ruth is
going to tell about the bill that has
been passed by the senate at Washing
ton making it against the law for rail
road men to strike. She stopped at
Nettie Smith IS on the way homo from
school today and she heard Nettie IS
father talking about it, and he said
that if the house of representatives
passes the bill too, and the President
signs it, the railroad men will be bound
to some kind of servitude that she does
not remember, except that it would be
just like slavery, and she is going to
tell the teacher that. ! think she is
wrong"
Involuntary servitude,' is prob
ably what Mr.. Smith said,'' replied
Uncle Ted THAT is the expression
used in the amendment to the Consti-
tuition which abolished slavery after the
Civil War. The constitutional amend
ment provides that Neither slavery nor
involuntary servitude, except as pun
ishment for crime, whereof the party
shall have been convicted, shall exist
within the United States, or any place
subject to their jurisdiction That is
perfectly plain. If Congress shopld
pass a Law and the President should
sign it, establishing any form of invol
untary servitude, the courts would Ger
tainly declare it null and void and no
man could be held under it.
"But let me tell you a few things
is to tell the teacher about tomorrow,
and l want particularly to tell you
about the involuntary servitude' part
of it.
I'm the first place, this bill applies
only to railrosds engaged in inter state
transportation is, carrying goods
and passengers from one state to ano-
ther. Congress has no power to enact
laws affecting railroads doing business
only within the borders of single
state, and, on the other hand, Congress
is given jurisdiction by the Constitution
over commerce between the states
Years and years ago,when the railroads
were short and when every community
produced what it needed for its exist
ence, it wouldn't have made much diff
ference if a lot of men got together and
made an agreement which would result
in the trains not running. The country
would have felt little Inconvenience,
but it could have gotten along some
way. But it is very different now. All
of the large cities depend absolutely
on the railroads for their daily food.
Milk is carried hundreds of miles on
trains to the cities, and if these trains
did not run regularly children would lie
without fresh milk and there would be
lots of suffering and deaths. If the
trains were stopped, the food and fuel
on hand in the cities would not last
much more than week. Hundreds of
thousands of people who work in the
cities live out in suburban towns, and
if the trains were to stop running they
could not get to their work.
"rhat shows the absolute necessity
Of keeling the trains running regularly
Now as to the involuntary servitude
matter-let me remind you that no man
is required to go to work for the rail
roads. He does so voluntarily. He