The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1922-08-31

properly function, five, seven or
nine men should be selected who
| represent neither the corporations
nor the wage workers, but who re-
present the nation. These men
should be paid large salaries, given
dignified positions, appointed either
for life or for long terms and treat
ed like the Supreme Court of the
United States. These men should
gradually build up a code based
upon their rulings seeking the ad-
vantage of no one group, but rather
the welfare of the nation as a whole,
which in the end would be for the
best interests of both the owners
and the wage workers. The decis-
ions of this board as applying to
transportation, public utilities and
similar conflicts, should be absolute
and final.
Railroad owners are now willing
to accept compulsory arbitration,
but the labor leaders are not. Some
claim the labor leaders are afraid
of losing their jobs, but I do not be-
lieve this is the reason. They ap-
pear to be honest in their belief
that enforcing men to work in a
steel plant which is operated for
profit may be form of slavery. If
compulsory arbitration applied to all
! industry, we certainly would be re-
verting to slavery. When, how
ever, It is applied only to transpor-
tation, public utilities, coal mining
and one or two other industries,
thus leaving the great field open,
compulsory arbitration cannot be
called slavery. I say this because
under such conditions any man who
did not wish to work for the rail-
roads, the public utilities or the coal
operators would be free to go into
competitive industry to which COM
pulsory arbitration would not apply.
The labor leaders state they are will
ing to accept compulsory arbitration
as best exemplified by the Kan
sas Industrial Court-provided the
railroads, public utilities, coal mines
etc., are operated by the Govern
ment, not for profit. They illus
trate their case by stating that this
is the reason they are willing to be
drafted for the army, because the
army is operated by the Government
and not individuals for profit, and
that this is why being drafted for
the army is not a form of slavery.
"This may be alright in theory.
continued Mr.. Babson, 'but the
public is in no mood at present for
further Government operation. The
results of the war, in connection
with the operation of the railroads,
the building and operation of ships
and the various other interests in
which the Government took hand,
show that under present conditions
Government operation is expensive,
inefficient and unsatisfactory.
"The public today believes that
better organization, better dicipline
and lower costs come thru private
operation. The public further be-
lieves that private operation should
continue so long as the present en-
ployees of the railroads, public util-
tiles, and coal operators are not
compelled to work for the owners
of these properties but are free to
leave them and work for other peo-
pie, and so long as there are plenty
Of other men available and willing
to work on the railroads, public |
utilities and coal mines under a sys-
tenn of compulsory arbitration.
"In view of these facts it seems to |
me that the public will not at pres
ent take seriously the claim Of the
labor leaders that compulsory ar
bitration applied even to industries |
operated for profit is necessarily |
slavery. II it were to apply to all |
industries or IL there we're not a |
group of men perfectly willing to
work on the railroads. public util-
tiles and coal mines under a system |
Of compulsory arbitration, then
there might be some Justice in the |
slavery argument. Today, however
railroad men are perfectly free to go /
into other lines of activity for which |
no compulsory arbitration is sug-
gested, while hundreds Of thous-
ands Of men are willing to work for
the railroads, public utilities and
even the coal operators under
compulsory arbitration system. How
will such a compulsory system be
put in operation in connection with
the railroads, public utilities and
mines? Possibly the people will be
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