Evening star., 1922-06-17
ROW FOLLOWS CUT
OF S27,0)0,0QOBY
RAIL WAGE BOARD
Minority Members Denounc-
ed for Criticism and "Ad-
vising Strike"
TINY SEEDS OF STRIFE
SOWN "AS IN RUSSIA"
Decision Affects 325,000 Clerks,
Signal Men and Stationary
Firemen.

Signal Men and Stationary
Firemen.
By the Associated Press
CHICAGO, June 17.-Ma iority mem
bers of the United States Railroad
Labor Board. who yesterday ordered
another S27 100000 slash from wages
of the nations railway workers, to-
day replied to criticisms of minority
members, with the charge that the
dissenting members presented lin
cendiary arguments in strained and
exaggerated effort to intiame the EN-
ploycs to strike against the decisions
Of the board"
The minority. constituting two of
the three labor members, were ac-
cused of sowing some of the tiny
seeds that have been terminated and
blossomed into anarchy in Russia"
Yesterdays decision, which affects
wages of $4,000 railway clerks sig
nal men and stationary firemen
brought total reductions effective July
i under the boards orders to $780,
oUo.OOO. approximately 100000 rail
way employees are affected by the or
derS.
Accompanying yesterdays order
carrying reductions ranging from =
to cents an hour, was a lengthy
supporting opinion from the mem
eprs representing the railroads and
the public. and the dissenting opinion
by the labor members condemning the
order.
Controversy Cndesired.
In their prompt rejoinder today the
majority members said. in part:
1t is not incumbent upon the six
members OF the board concurring in
this decision to follow the minority
into partisan controversy which
partakes more of the characteristics
Of impassioned advocacy than of calm
adjudication.
insofar as the dissenting opinion
dstorts upon the sentiments of the
majority. misquotes their language
and reflects upon their desire and
disposition to do justice, we will re-
train from comment. We prefer TO
believe that these improprieties crept
into that part of the document which
was drafted by the employees in the
headquarters of the railway depart
ment of the American Federation of
Labor, and that they were overlook
ed by the dissenting members.
is one feature the QlS-
senting argument, however, which is
SO unusual that it should not be pass
ed over without notice. and that is
the portion wherein the two dissent
ing members advise the employees to
strike against the decision Of the
board. .
1T is something new for labor
members of the board to issue in
cendiary arguments to employees in
favor of striking against a decision
of the board. The giving of advice
of this kind has heretofore been left
to outsiders, who were not under the
official obligations imposed by the
transportation act. the main purpose
of which is to prevent railway strikes
and protect the public from their
dire effects.
"One of the passages referred to is
as follows:
THE transportation act aimed to
substitute for the strike such just
and reasonable wages as would
render resort to a strike Unnecessary
II this tribunal created to determine
such wages admits that under exist
ing circumstances 1t cannot fulfill 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
That is to say, If the board makes
such admission, the employees must
strike.
Sees Strike Advised.
The dissenting members proceed to
remove the If and to assert that the
board has made the admission which
renders a strike necessary. =.
Not only do the minority step
down from the judicial position
which they occupy to advise a strike.
but they obviously distort and mis-
construe the language of the ma
jority in order to provide the condi-
tion which they pronounce a justi-
fcation.
This is not the only place in the
dissenting opinion where the sugges-
tion Is made to the employees to
strike. AS matter of fact. the en-
tire dissenting opinion constitutes a
strained and exaggerated effort to
infiame the employees by the belief
that they have been grossly outraged
by this decision.
"A fair statement of the facts will
convince any disinterested man that
no injustice has been done to these
employees by the present decision, and
that the decrease in their wages is
conservative and Is based upon the
law and the evidence"
Declaring that the minority saw
agely attacked statements quoted
from former decisions by the board
in which relevant circumstances"
referred to in the transportation act,
were considered in wage increases
the majority members asserted that
lit would appear that the relevant
circumstances were ~ be considered
by the present dis. lting members
in relation only to wage increase, but
not decreases"
The statement then went into
the controversy over theoretical liv-
ing standards and the minority's
charges that the year 1917 was an
unfair year to adopt as a basis or
starting point in the consideration
of wages of railway labor.
THE disSenters are well aware that
the wage reports of this board have
begun with the year 1917 and both of
them have twice concurred in this
arrangement" the statement con-
tinued.
Consideration Given 1918.
statistics from the bureau of labor
and the Interstate Commerce Com
mission on living costs and standings
in 1915, q year which the dissenters
,aid was a fair basis, were quoted by
tho majority members, who. after a
lengthy presentation, said the stand
ard of living for clerks under the
rates prescribed by the decision is
12.1 per cent above 1915.
"It certainly affords grounds for
satisfaction and encouragement
rather than for inflammatory appeals
for strikes" the statement said.
g., T. -