The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-10-20
THE CLIO MESSENGER
Published Thursdays at Clio, Mich.
Chas. II. Reed, Editor.
THE RAILROAD SITUATION

I; that something like half million OF
railroad workers, including engineers
firemen, con d u C tors, trainmer
switchmen and numerous others, are
preparing to leave work on November
first neXt-a date less than two weeks
distant. The consequences of such a
strike, if continued into the winter
months, are almost beyond. compre-
hension. They would have to be ex-
perienced in order to be compre-
hended. In normal times, with all
avenues of transportation working
smoothly, the millions of people who
live in the great cities are but week
or two removed from starvation.
That is to say, as general PROPOSE
ton, they have food supplies for but
a week or two in advance of normal
consumption. Imagine the situation,
if you can, when the thousands of
babies and small children in New
York, Chicago, st. Louis, Detroit and
the many other big cities cannot get
milk because the milk trains from re-
mote country districts are not run
ming. And then reflect what condi-
/ tons of human suffering will result
when the poor of those cities. who al
ways buy food and fuel in the small
est possible lots, and who never have
any supplies ahead find it absolutely
impossible to buy. The unemploy-
ment situation win furnish food for
further thought. 1t has been serious
enough for several months past, un-
der normal conditions. What will it
be when the great factories shut
down because they cannot get coal
and cannot sell their products be-
cause of the difficulty of moving
them; when force of men estimated
at ten millions are out of work?
What an increased incentive to crime
and violence such situation would
create. But what is the object, you
will say, of presenting these harrow
ing anticipations? Such a situation
cannot really come about. We be-
lieve, however. that it can come
about very easily; that it is even i'm
minent, and our object in thus pre-
senting the matter is to call atten-
ton to remedy that might be APP
plied-that MUST eventually be APP
piled in some similar emergency.
To elucidate, let us discuss causes
briefly In our opinion the whole
situation is the result of changing
conditions-of evolution. Within a
space of one hundred years we have
grown from nation of five millions
of people to a nation of approx
mately one hundred ten millions.
From general situation in which the
individual was the outstanding fea-
ture we have progressed or grown to
a point where masses of men claim
chief attention. Individualistic exis-
ence and action is no longer possible,
ia Inv tc acra oF arsF
binations. We are now actually in
and with the help of one another.
The products of the coal fields, the
grain fields, the oil fields, the mills
and factories must be distributed
without interruption or immediate
and widespread suffering and disaster
will result. This being true, it is at
once apparent that in any situation
such as that presented by the threat
ened strike of railroad workers the
welfare of the NATION is of pre-
eminent Importance. 1t is not the
profits of the owners nor the wages
of the workers that is of chief i'm
portance in such an emergency. 1t
is the right of the whole people to
LIVE, decently, that is at stake. In
other emergencies wherein extraordi
nary disaster threatens the people
the government is expected to take
any steps that may be necessary to
avert or mitigate the calamity and
the propriety of such action is I'M
questioned. Under such circum-
stances it assumes to fix wages, to
take the property and even to sacri- |
fee the lives of citizens in the ma
tional defense. Why, then, in the
name of the commonest of common |
sense, is governmental dictation not |
applicable in the present case? The |
railroads are absolutely essential to
the national existence. In an emer-
gency such as is at present imminent |
why should the government not |
assume control, ascertain what the |
revenues may be, and apportion to |
both owners and employees whatever |
might be considered just. In event |
any such award should not be &C
cepted, pending a hearing before |
the courts or some other tribunal |
of competent jurisdiction, why
should not the government assume
to operate the roads and why |
should it not punish as public enc
mics any who should fail to obey it's
orders, no matter what their social |
status? In other words, if co-opera- |
ton is necessary why should it not be |
enforced? In our opinion, great |
need of the present day, in our coun-
try, is for all classes of society to
learn that the age Of cooperation is
HERE. 1t is not more or less ad-
theory toward which we may |
be working. 1t is an accomplished |
fact with which we must deal intelli-
gently and the obligation to do so
falls equally upon all. We must
learn to believe, for example, that
the land owner is entitled to owner
ship of his land only so long as he |
uses it with reasonable regard for the |
necessities of his fellows, that the |
factory owner is entitled to claim
ownership of his factory only so long |
as he operates it with decent regard |
for the equities of society, that the
wage Garner is entitled to compen-
sation proportionate only to his real
and bearing a just relation
ship to the compensation of all 9TH