Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-27
CONFERENCE URGES
LOWER R. R. WAGES
Carriers Also Should Share In
oeflation, Agricultural
Session Says
PROTESTS BY G0MPERS
Bv the Associated Press

WASHINGTON. Jan. ga declaration
that railroad labor and railroad cor.
porations should share in the defation
70 brin" prices Of ether commodities In
line with agriculture was adopted today
by the National Agricultural Confer.
cnce over the protests of Samuel Com
pcrs, president of the American Fed
Grafton OF Labor. Mr.. GomperS' mo-
tion to strike ont the recommendation
was overwhelmingly defeated amid
cheers.
w." resolution as adopted was con-
tained in the report Of the Committee
on rnrSro tation as follows:
1--WE insist that the railroad cor.
porations and railroad labcr should
share in the dcHntion in charges now
affC ting ali industries. This is cs-
scntinl to the restoration of normal con :
ditiOns in agriculture and Il is essen ,
tial TO tho welfare Of the entire com =
Tunity. We earnestly appeal to those
in authority to take such a"ti"n rs may
he necessary in order to accomplish that
result"
Union labor, however. won one VIC
tory today when tho conference, by a
vote Of S3 TO Ga. struck out of COM
nittee report recommendation for
rer"al Of the Adnmson eight hour law.
Committee conclusions. which wou' d
havo nut tho conference OF record az
indOrsing the Great Lakcs-St. Lawrence
waterway project also were stricken
out when the committee report came up
for adoption.
Recommendation for the appointment
Of Federal comm ission TO formulate
Q national land POLICY. including all
questions Of reclamation and irrigation,
we're adopted by the conference.
The conference also went on record
az opposed To the opening Of nny more
lnnd for farming purposes until normal
economic conditions are restored.
The "onfe' 'ence also struck out of
for repeal Of the commonly termed guar
entv clause Of the Transpo tation Act
which fixes q per cent as proper re-
turn for railroads.
Gomrers. in a vehement speech, de-
nouncpd n resolution introduced by w.
y. Stackhouso. PRECEDENT Of the National
Implement and Vehicle Association, call
Nc for reduction o. mine-e' and railway
union labor wages and also the commit
tee report on repeal Of the Adamson law.
Mr.. Gompers warned the farmers that
after Trey had become thoroughly or
Can'7cd they might in the future face
similar fight bv interests which he said
now were making drive on union
labor.
Mr.. 1;'--,-o7s declared he faced "this
same htereOtypcd antaGonlsm" before,
and addel: "You may repeal the Ad-
amson law. but you will not take the
eight. hour day away from the railroad
man"
but GO on and organize" he con-
tinucl. ''and you will face criticism. as
labor has done. The interests wil drive
YOU as they have driven labor Adont
Mr. Stackhouse's resolution and YOU
will ally yourselves with the exporters
of time. Labor wants to hCl1 the firm
org. but II you adopt ther the Stack
house resolution or the report OF the
committee we cant help but feet you
g al'ying yourselves with our enc.
mics.
W. c. Lansdnn, OF Kansas Farmers
Union, opposing the resolution. said the
farmers of his State did not want to
take advantage Of labor in readjusting
matters. Lets adjust the prices Of
farm products upward" he said ian |
not throw anybody down. Millions Of
men arc living in industrial slavery IN
this country. Instead of asking that
credits be readjusted to lift those pco-
pie, you are trying to pull down labor
to their conditions