The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1922-02-11
Lied About Everything,

Moving on her leaden heels.
truth is rapidly overtaking and now
ing down the battallions and armies
OF preYar1cators who have been
holding high reve1 at the expense
OF the public. particularly that sec
ton made up of workers
Ever since the carriers were re-.
turned to their private owners and
long before they have been having
tnlngs their own way. They have
been telling that would put Ananias,
Tom Pepper and old Munchausen
to shame. They have lied about the
government, the workers and the
public. They lied about themselves.
The truth was not in them, -.
Relying upon the proverbial gulli- !:
olllty OF the public, and supported
Dy- g press that is as lacking in
morals as themselves, they put out
statements affecting the. operation
OF the railroads that: were so pre-
posterous that they should have car
rled their own refutation. Some
now, the public accepted them as
gosper, wherefore the public is suf-.
terlng many ills that, might have
been averted had truth not been sent
crashing from her throne .. :.
Chickens Coming Homo. :
. Railroad president, declared that
government operations of railroads
was inefficient and expensive, and
the. statement was accepted without
question. Wasn't there deficit Of
a few hundred thousand dollars?
Sure there was. That was enough
for the publicS-it hadn't time nor
the inclination to go behind the re-
cord. ~ ,I-% - -
They said the workers took -ad-
vantage OF the government during
the war TO wiring 'exorbitant wages
iout OF the: railroads. The workers
received a a .-1sa so siucrease, and J
that was all the public wanted to-
know. It believed everything the
presidents told it. :" -: s,,,. -
The workers were charged with
Stacking during the war. There was,
no basis for this statement, but the
public, accustomed to- taking with
out grain of salt the periodical
emanations of the professional liars.
believed that, too. -
> Accomplished Purpose. i
These lies accomplished their
purpose. They forced reductions Of
workers wages the cancellation Of
decent working conditions and
brought the workers into general
disrepute. -. .ss5
Now for the facts, as truth has
dragged them out. =, -: : 4
Government control Of railroads
according to former Rail Director
William G. McAdoo, was exception:
ally efficient and economical. It
cost the people nearly $1O0,000,O0O
month less than they are today.
The War could not have been won
with private management. The
roads had gone to pot when the gov
| ernment stepped. in. The managers
admitted their incapacity. - !
According to Mr.: McAdoo, who.
offers supporting proof, the roads
were the strongest ally of the Ger
man Kaiser, when they were in tho
hands Of their own managers '
Who Ran The. Roads? >.
/ ;. For five months after the roads
were under federal control the pri-
vate managers were in charge. They.
| did awful things to the government.
| If we were not so nice about terms,
their conduct could not be described
las being other than rank treason.
These, managers, now going up
and down the country denouncing
the government, did everything they
could to embarass a nation at war.
| They wouldn't cooperate to break
| traffic congestion. They padded pay
rolls and otherwise looted q govern
ment that had both hands up to
the elbows in the pockets of its peo-
pie searching out war funds,
| They lied about the. condition of
their cars and locomotives, about
their finances, about everything. The
first jump out OF the box tried 70
| annex q cold billion of Uncle Sans
money-money needed, to- by food
and munition for the soldiers In
France. .g..ss< s..}3--r .Ss..s ..1#.
I E Piled up Deficits. s2:..ss
They piled up heavy deficits
practically all the deficit Of the first
year Of operation was incurred
while these self-confessed liars and
sabotagours were sniping in the rear
Of the American army 3 s#st i.
That's exactly what they were do
ing, and they were getting away with
It until they were called to book
by Director McAdoo. He sent them
letters telling them that they were
monstrously inefficient. The govern
ment wanted cars moved, ana not
excuses. The nation was in peril
and the railroads were not helping
4 It out. z, # 80 IS IS, s SS5
Five months Of this sort OF thing.
and then something happened. Me-
Adoo fired Sam Rea. Dan Willard,
Dice and: Bressler and q lot of other
100 per cent centers who were aid
ing the kaisers cause. Fired them
out sbosi1y, as he told hem he would:
unless they chang heir met thods
and deported thennse lvea as God
ContinlIed On pae 8