Evening star., 1921-06-26
Regulating Railway Wages

there be no backward step.
1t has been claimed. l believe, by
brotherhood leaders that they did
not ask for the Adamson law which
was enacted in the fall of 1915.
Perhaps they did not. but they let
1t be known that a general strike
would tie up the transportation
system of the country II the broth
erhoods did not get what they
asked. Their demands were met:
at least the railroad men continued
to work. They must have approved
Of the law, for no strike was or
dered. and the trains were run as
usual. The country escaped a
catastrophe that threatened. Grant
to the men every fair inference
that may be drawn, and yet the
fact remains that they accepted
the benefits of the new law. If they
did not approve OF the law, and
thought the Congress had not the
power to legislate in the way 1t
did. they owed 1t to some OF US who
were defending the law and explain
ing the circumstances OF its enact
ment to join the railroad owners in
the contention that the Congress
had exceeded its constitutional au-
thority. But they did not Without
protest they accepted the benefits Of
the law and suffered the enactment
to be upheld.
\ + + +
The Supreme Court held that
the Congress possessed the power
1t had exercised. Railroad own
ers and employees accepted the de-
cision. Whether rightfully or not.
the average man among us now
believes-and have great faith
in the intellectual honesty of the
average man when he is not mad
that the Congress has the power to
fix the wages Of those engaged in
interstate commerce. The Congress
may exercise this power directly
by An act Of its own. or through
the medium OF a board created for
that purpose. To say that force
must be used to rectify wrong
is to declare that barbarism rather
than civilization works for right
eousness. 1t is to proclaim Will
liam of Germany a more admirable
character than Woodrow Wilson.
This I deny.
l am not foolish enough to say
that the recent wage reduction OF
railroad employees Is just or justi-
fable. / believe the reduction to
have been honestly made. know
it was lawfully made.
One concept Of wages is too often
in the pay envelope and not often
enough in the expense account. 1t
E. is not how many dollars 1 re-
ceive for my services that is vital.
but what I can buy for the dollars
that receive. Some day states
manship and science will unite to
stabilize the dollar in purchasing
power the world and the year
around. Actual and not antici-
pated evil is the problem to be
considered in the controversy over
railroad wages. The prices of
commodities have tumbled. and
still are on the decline. 1t is pos
sible that the reduced wage will
soon buy as much as the increased
wage of a year ago bought then.
If so, the workers surely will have
no complaint.
= 'T4 have heretofore acquiesced
in Increases granted and sane
toned by the government. They
have said in the past that the gov
ernment was right. Will they now
arbitrarily say the government is
wrong? Have they SO poor an
opinion Of those of US who have
been their friends in the past that
they cannot trust the common sense
of the public. who have an inter-
est in uninterrupted traffic and
general welfare to insist on JUS
tice for them? Do they think that
in matters which affect US as well
as them we will consent that they
shall be the exclusive Judge?
No man. no body of men. can
prosper without the good will Of
the average. everyday American
citizen. These citizens were startled
in September, 1916. when the
Adamson law prevented strike
which impended. but a majority Of
them held fast to their faith in
the law-abiding character and
good intentions of railroad men. /
hope we are not to lose it in 1921. q,
IGnnrri1ht. 1921. by ThomaR R. Macxhllll