Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-08-04
RECORD WITH
R. R. STRIKERS
Tells Men to Take Appeal to.
Conscience of People,
Urges No Violence

Record, candidate against Joseph S
Frelinghuysen for the Republican
nomination for United States sena'
tor, talking here last evening, de-
clared himself on the side of the
railroad workers in their refusal &c
accept the reduced wages ordered
by the labor board. He advised the
strikers t take their appeal to the
conscience of the people and to re-
frain from all violence. He then
went into his plan to have the gov
eminent take over and operate the
railroads of the country.
Mr.. Record addressed a large au-
dience in his big tent at South Or
ange avenue and South Twelfth
street last evening.
He said at the conclusion of a
lengthy speech:
II am on the side of the railroad
workers in their refusal to accept
the reduced wages ordered by the
Railroad Labor Board. My reason
is that the government having un-
dertaken to fix wages is bound to fix
wages that will afford n reasonable
standard of living. The Railroad
Labor Board has failed to live up
to this requirement. They have
fixed the wages for hundreds OF
thousands of railroad workers tar
below a living wage. President
Harding, speaking in New York last
year, said:
".'In our effort in establishing in
dustrial Justice we must see hat the
wage Garner is placed in an econom-
ically sound position. His lowest
wages must be enough for comfort,
enough to make his house a home,
enough to insure that the struggle
for existence shall not crowd out the
things solely worth living for. There
must be provision for education. for
recreation and a margin for saving
s'Eenator Cummins of Iowa, who
was the author of the Transports
ton Act which created the railroad
labor board, said in a speech before
the senate committee a few months
ago.
II those who framed the
transportation act neyer dreamed
that when the government under
took to fix wages, the wages OF any
who vas required to work
would be less than would be nee
essary to support him and his TAM
lily In reasonable comfort.
II am in full accord with these
sentiments, but they r meaning
platituGes unless they are act
ually carried out in practice. The
people of the United States cannot
afford In the long run to have a
business vital as transportation car
ried on by men who receive less
than q living wage.
II gSuvA -<- IF fhn ra11rn16 MAN. |
in insisting that those rail-
road workers who return to worn
forfeit their seniority rights, is
to justice. These men nave
nv MANY a of faithful service
earned a vested right IN their
nositions, which ought not to be
forfeited. because they attempt 10
their rights by the use OF
the only weapon that they have left,
namely. the refusal to work. Wheh
the railroads cease TO 1uncLlon
we do not take away their
When the men cease
to work in an effort to prevent in
lust wages, they in justice and Q
lis do not forfeit the seniority rights
which they have earned by long
years of fcithful service.
my advice to the men Is TO
make their appeal to the conscience
md sense If fair play of the Amer
can people upon these arguments.
md by all means be provoked
into violence.
"At the same time l earnestly
upon their attention the face
that after they have won this I'M
mediate contest, which ] nope ana
believe they will, the great ques-
ton OF industrial Justice, of dong
away with unemployment, OF Great
ing more jobs for men. OF anol-
privilege and monopoly In our
industrial life, will still be unsoived.
In my Judgment the first step TO-
wards the solution of this problem
and the only way in which the rail-
road workers will obtain permanent
recocnition of their rights, will De
by the government taking over ana
operating The railroads
Mr. Record will talk tomorrow
evening in his home town, Jersey
civ. The tent will be moved from
Newark today and erected at South
street and Cambridge avenue, Jersey
civ. where the meeting will be held
this evening, Tomorrow n sun
day are TO be days of rest for the
CANDIDATE who will begin Monday
on : new tour of campaigning IN
North Jersey.