Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-08-31

terms, and treated like the Supreme
Court of the United States. These
men should gradually build up code
based upon their rulings, seeking the
advantage of no one group, but
rather the welfare of the nation as
whole, which in the end would be for
the best interests of both the. owners
AMI the wage workers. The decisions
of this board as applying to trans
portation, public utilities and SINH
lar 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 | do not believe
this to be the reason. They appear
to be honest in their belief that en-
forcing men to work for profit is on
ly a form of slavery. Forcing man
to work in a steel plant which is OPP
Grated for profit may be form of
slavery If compulsory arbitration
applied to all industry, we certainly
would be reverting to slavery. When,
however, it is applied only to trans
portation, public utilities, coal min
ing and one or two other industries,
thus leaving the great field open,
compulsory arbitration cannot be
slavery. | say this because under
such conditions any man who did
not wish to work for the railroads,
the public utilities or the C oal OPP
orators would be free to go into
competitive industry to which COM
puleory 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., arc operated by the Govern
ment, not for profit. They illustrate
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
by individuals for profit, and that
this is why being drafted for the
army is not form of 1laYery.
"This may be all right in theory"
continued Mr.. Babson, but the pub
lie is in no mood al pro1ent 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 a hand,
show that under present conditions
Government operation is expensive,
inefficient ard unsatisfactory. The
public believes today that better or
ganization, better discipline and low
er costs come through private opera
tion. The public further believes
that priv ate operation should contin-
ne so long as the present employees
Of the railroads, public utilities, and
coal operators are not compelled to
work for the owners of these pro-
perties, but are free to leave them
and work for other people, and SO
men available and willing to work
or the railroads, public utilities and
coal mines under a system of COM
pulsory arbitration.
''In view of these facts, it seems
to me that the public will not at
present take seriously the claim of
the labor leaders that compulsory
arbitration applied even to indust-
ries operated for profit is necessar-
lily slavery. If it were 60 apply to all
Industries or if there were not
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 mer are perfectly free to go
into other lines of activity for which
no compulsory arbitration is sug-
gested, while hundreds of thousands
of men are willing TO work for the
railroads, public utilities and even
the coal operators under compul-
sorry arbitration system. How will
such a compulsory system be put in
operation in connection with the rail-
roads, public utilities and mines
Possibly the people will be so irritat-
ed that Congress will with one swoop
apply the Kansas Industrial Court
idea to the railroads, public utilities
and mines. ! hope, however, this
will not be done. The need of the
hour is to have workers feel right.
We shall never have efficiency and
a reduction in the cost Of living until
those engaged in industry feel right
toward their work. People never
feel right when forced to do any
thing against their better judgment.
Hence my forecast is as follows:
"The Railroad Labor Boards rul-
ingg will not now be made compul-
sorry as to the present employees,
but they will be compulsory on every
employee who goes to work for the
railroads after a certain date. Those
employees who are now at work for
the railroads came on a free, com
rct'tive basis and have done faith
Cul work. Although theoretically