Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1922-06-17

document which was drafted Dy
the employees in the headquarters
of the railway department OF the
American Federation Of Labor
and that they are overlooked by
the dissenting members.
"There is one feture of the dis
senting argument, however, which
is SO unusual that 1t should not
be passed over without notice,
and that is the portion wherein
the two dissenting members ad-
wise the employees to strike against
the decision of the board.
Strike Urging Resented
'It is something new for labor
members OF the board to issue in
cendiary arguments to employees
In favor Of striking against a de-
cision of the board. The giving OF
advice Of this kind has hereto
fore been left to outsiders, who
were not under the official obli-
cations imposed by the transpor-
tation act, the main purpose OF
which is to prevent railway strikes
and protect the public from the
dire effects.
zone of the passages referred
to is as follows: The transporta-
tion act aimed to substitute for the
strike such just and reasonable
wages as would render resort to a
strike unnecessary. If this tri-
bunal, created to determine such
wages, admits that under exist
Ing circumstances, 1t cannot full
full this function, obviously the
employees must use such power as
they have to influence the labor
market, which Is henceforth to be
the determining factor in their
wages.
Opinion Exaggerated
"That is to say II the board
makes such adlpission, the en-
ployes must strike.
"Then the dissenting members
proceeded to remove the If and
to assert that the board has made
tn eadmission which renders q
strike necessary.
"Not only do the minority steT
down from the judicial position
which they occupy, to advise
strike, but they obviously distorl
and misconstrue the language OF
the majority In order to provide
the condition which they pro
nounce Justification.
This is not the only place In
the dissenting opinion where the
suggestion is made to the employees
to strike. As a matter of fact
the entire dissenting opinion con
stitutes a strained and exaggerat'
ed effort to inflame the employees
by the belief that they have beer
grossly outraged by this action.
Facts Refute Claims
"a fair statement of the facts
will convince any disinteresteo
man that no injustice has beer
done to these employees by the pre-
sent decision and that the de
crease in their wages Is conser
vative and is based upon the law
and the evidence" /"
Declaring that the minority
savagely attacked statements
quoted from former decisions by
the board in which relevant cir
cumstances" referred to in the
transportation act were consider
ed In wage increases, the MAORI
ty members asserted that "ft
would appear that the relevant
circumstances were to be consider
ed by the present dissenting mem
bers in relation only to wage in
creases but not to decreases.
The statement then went into
the controversy over theoretical
living standards and the minori-
ty's charges that the year 1917
was an unfair year to adopt as a
basis of a starting point in the
consideration of wages OF railway
labor.
Refute Own Figures
"The dissenters are well aware
that the wage reports OF this board
have begun with the year 1917,
and both OF them have twice con-
CURED in this arrangement" the
statement continued.
Statistics from the bureau OF la
Dor and the interstate commerce
commission ON living costs and