The labor world., 1922-04-08

the wages OF millions OF American
toilers and for bargaining between
themselves as to the disposition of
the amount of money they can in
duce this board to take away: from
railway employees It*is q conspiracy
against the public welfare-an org.
anization Of specific groups seeking
in. alliance each its. own particular
economic self-interest:.
'These: agricultural Organizations
are selling the birthright of the Am
erican: farmer; to. a. reasonable: and
fair. transportation rate for a m easily
mess Of pottage. In: this connection
I refer: them to the. publicity: of
statements Of railway officials made
broadcast: in the newspapers in the
summer of 1920. when the railway
corporations were demanding an In.
crease in rates from the interstate
commerce commission. Those state
ments, and there were many specific
illustrations given Of the alleged ef-
fects Of rate increases, purported to
show how very little effect, practic-
ally none at all, such increases
would. have on. the farmer and other
consumers. The increase, according
to these officials and their :propa-
gandists, was so small, 50 insignifi-
cant, so minute that it had to be re-
solved. into fractions Of tenths and
hundreths Of one cent. Then the
proposed rate increase was about, 40
per cent. 49,.
Facts For Farmers -
''Now, however, when the rail-
roads offer the farmer the benefit
OF less than one-fourth this rate in
a proposed reduction Of only y 10 in
stead Of 40 per cent, why, this 10
per cent amounts into the, millions
Of dollars! It. is an enormous saw
ing to. the farmer, to- the consumer,
to the American people, only provid-
ed it comes about through . reduc-
ton in the wages of railway EN-
ployeS ~:'s' =: s-'-..;5 = 49,: +,
'::But if the farmer will stop a mo-
ment and consider the fundamental
economic facts involved, he will find
that the diminished power Of con-
sumption Of his food products by the
1,750,000 railway. workers represent
ing nearly 100000 people which
will ensue from a reduction. Of wages
will affect the .farmer-producer
1nuch. more seriously than any slight
gain he may secure from such a re-
duction> in transportation rates.
"Thus an attempt is. being made
by the railroads. to- relate in the
public mind rates Of transportation
to the rate Of wages Of their employ
es by Offering a. reduced transporta-
ton rate to o.interests demanding low
.er rates in return for their, support
in securing a reduction in the wage
rate. 1t is simply a. cheap bid for
public favor. 1t is in particular a
bribe to secure: the, support or ratl,-
'er to suppress the opposition OF
those corporate and agricultural
interests whose economic concern
Is in "a, lower transportation rate.
Such economies, that is, to base a
reduction in the transportation rate
upon a; decrease in wages, are fall
lacious: They are as fallacious az
were the: claims of the railroads in
previous. rate advance cases when
they based their appeal for rate in
ereases upon increases in wages.
f. These and numerous other simil-
ar. efforts by, the railroads to con-
fuse in the public mind the true
economies Of railway operation as
to the relation Of rates for the trans
portation Of goods and passengers
and, rates of wages to employees for
services performed should not re-
ceive the sanction. Of. the United
States: railroad labor board any
moro than that of the. interstate
commerce. commission" r..