Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1921-10-28
OUR RAILWAY SITUATION An indust

which comes close to the life OF the Nation as
docs the railroads, must be governed differently
from all others, hence the State railroad commits
sions and the Interstate Commerce Commission,
which have the regulation of freight and traffic
OF these common carriers under their supervision.
The great powerful organization of capital be-
hind these railroad properties unhampered and
nnrestrained have been preying on the public and
its millions OF employees, until these regulating
powers of the various state and national govern
ment organized and put into operation Rail
roadLabor in self protection and to make working
conditions and wages as to secure a standard
OF living 70 rthcir families i'll keeping with the adj
vanced demands of civilization met organized
capital with the only weapon within its power by
organizing the units of labor and to demand its
recognition Out Of the war grew the Railroad
Labor Board ostensbe to avoid interruption of
traffic on the railways and act as arbitrators be
tween employer and employee with due regard
to the interests of the general public SO long as
capital had its opportunities Of rctrenchment of
its losses through the Federal treasury. things
ran smooth and no higher praise was ever given
any set of men, than which was expressed by Mr.
Bugg at meeting called by him of businessmen
and bankers from all along the line of the A. B &
a. and held two years ago at the Lee Grant Hotel
Tor the loyalty and efficiency of the then employ
eeS OF ms railroad No controversy existed then as
regards wages or working conditions, and Mr.
Bugg made plain to his audience that the wages
Tor his men were just and fair and as he said
there VIII not be cut on my road for any of our
employees"
The government ceased to supply the deficits
many times created throueh ranl, noff;c;o,c,.
bordering on dishonesty and legal restrictions
Deing IN the way of putting the deficit off on the
public, 1t naturally followed that labor must bear
the whole burden
In the passage of the Transportation Act Con-
greSs intended to create board of arbitration TO
which all disputes between labor and EMPLOYERS
OF railroads should be referred for settlement TO
avoid strikes and though no penalty was attached
to MAKE men abide by the law, and labor DID
OBEY 1T, it was not until the A. B. & A. invoked
receivership that it found that corporations
are not only without souls, but that thew also
lacked the moral sense to remain loyal citizens
under trying circumstances
The government established the Railway abor
Board Tor the protection of the public and since
the railroads received under the same act which
created this board, substantial government fnan-
cial aid which they readily accented thew should
have been held responsible for the CARRYING ont
all OF the provisions of this same act in the mast
me settlement OF the National strike it appears
is made on the basis that IN FUTURE all of the
rules OF the Labor Board shall bind all parties
ankle; no change in the law is advocated. then whv
not prlng the offending corporation to obey the
established rulings Of the Board NOW!