The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-06-19
WALk0UT CAN'T
BE HALTED, so
LEADERS STATE


CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
lished the principles that 'Just
wages must await the complete sat
isfaction OF railroad ownership in
the matter of rehabilitation and
profits" Further. the board was
told that in its last decision cutting
the wages of clerks. signalmen and
stationary firemen that 1t had
stated as basis of action the
theory that labor cannot be COM
pletely freed from the economic law
which likewise affect the earnings
OF capital"
CLEARLY this means nothing more
or less" the letter said, than the
treatment of labor as a commodity
whose value fluctuates according to
the demand for and the supply of
labor"
Men Want Living Wage.
As the result of the boards de-
cisions," the letter said. the lowest
paid employees have been degraded
below level of bare animal sub
sistence and the earning capacity OF
the employees in the higher grades
had been reduced below a standard
OF healthful and decent living" The
acceptance of the claim for profits
first for the roads, the commodity
theory of wages and the rejection OF
the principle that the lowest paid
workers should receive a living wage
were declared violations OF the
transportation act by the letter.
High operating costs Of railroad
were asserted to be due 10 "delin-
quencies of financial control" and
the letter said that If the capital
needs of the railroads were financed
by the public and they were operated
in the public interest, freight rates
could be greatly reduced and wages
to the employees increased"
Ten Union Heads Sign Letter.
The letter was signed by B. NJ.
Jewell, president, and John scott,
secretary of the railway employees
department Of the Americal Fedora
tion OF Labor and the heads OF the
10 railroad unions, including VIII
liam II. Johnston, machinists; John
A. Franklin, boilermakers; j. w.
Kline, blacksmlths: j. j. Hynes,
sheet metal workers; j /, Noonan,
electrical workers: Martin +. Ryan,
carmen; II. +. Cradle, maintenance
of way employees. r, II. Fitzgerald,
clerks; Timothy HealE, stationary
firemen and oilers, and ID. w. Holt,
signalmen.
Mr.. Lewis, the miners leader. was
the only one TO discuss the probable
effect OF a walkout by the railroad
shopmen, section and slgnalmen
and clerks. He asserted that rail-
road transportation would begin 10
SLOW down right away" after the
men quit and that train operation
would be affected although none of
the big four" transportation broth
erhoods. directly concerned in tram
movement, was included IN the
walkout. In addition, he declared
that the domestic and Industrial
troubles generally would increase in
progressive ratio" with tho walkout
of the rail men coming on top OF
the coal strike, which he said, had
kept 6SO,000 men out OF the mines
since April last.
In addition to his oral discussion
of industrial conditions, Mr.. Lewis
issued n formal statement saying
that "the conditions which con-
front the miners and the railroad
workers are the elimination of the
efforts OF certain powerful reaction
ary interests, which. since the close
OF the war, have attempted 20 de-
stroy labor organizations and IN
defensibly to reduce wages.
His statement added that the bur-
den OF deflation was sought to be
placed on the workers, and then
concluded:
we have one er-developed IN
dustry, the btuminous coal indus-
try and another under-deyeioped
the railroads operating with high
costs and n third industry (the an
thracite coal industry whlch Is