The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-18
CHARGES ROADS
ARE SEEKING TO
DESTROY UNION
Paul C. Huybrecht Addresses Meet.
ing Of Striking Shopnen OF
Tri-Citles and Ladies.


The following statement was is
sued to the press today by the Sill
Wis federated shop crafts:
Striking shopmen Of the tri-
cities and their women folks. MEM
bers Of the Women's Trade Union
league, were treated yesterday to
one of the most interesting and ed
ucational addresses that has been
delivered here since the beginning
of the shopmen's strike on July l.
Paul C. Huybrecht, representa-
tive IT the railway employees de-
partment of the American Fedora
ton Of Labor, was the deliverer Of
this address and he not only. ex-
planned the present strike situa-
ton, but went back into history.
both past and present, bringing to
light the many intrigues of organ
lied money in its efforts to enslave
the American workers. In order
that his audience might perfectly
understand the many angles OF the
economical and political situation
that is responsible for the labor
difficulties of today, Mr.. Huybrecht
frequently resorted to allegory to
more forcibly drive home his points.
Mr.. Huybrecht started back in the
year 1892, reading document that
outlined the program Of the bank
ers' organization of that day, to de-
fate labor and the farmer. The
methods employed at that time and
the methods employed today to de-
fate the industrial worker and the
farmer worker are identical, the
same program being followed today
as was carried out so successfully
for the moneyed interests in 1892.
Railroad labor was attacked then
| just as it is now. The farmers
we're divided against themselves
then just as efforts are being made
/ to divide them against each other
today-a national intricate scheme
on the part Of big business to keep
at minimum the wages Of the pro-
ducers of this country and at the
same time create a maximum profit
for those who produce none of the
worlds goods. He told of the land
grant steals of the railroads, and
of how the northern railroads man
aged to get control of practically
all of the timber land in the Unit
ed States by means of these land
grant steals. OF the railroad prop
uganda, he called attention to the
old trick of the roads to wrap
themselves in a shabby coat and
/ plead poverty in order to secure re-
auctions in the wages of their en-
ployes and to secure further in
creases in railroad rates. An IL
Illustration of railroad propaganda
is the recent celebration of the 10th
anniversary of the Rock Island,
held in the IA states through which
it operates. Bronze tablets were
placed in conspicuous spots
! throughout these IA states upon
which it stated operated for pub
lie service leaving the impression
that this was the sole purpose of
the railroad and not even mention
ing that the public was the very
life of the railroad. Mr.. Huy-
brecht's attention was called to the
long-promised Rock Island passen-
ger station in Moline as a part Of
the Rock Islands operation for
public service and he remarked
that the new station would become
a reality about as fast as the en-
| nj fc
working conditions have been
granted by the management Of this
railroad in the past. Profits and
not public service is the sole rea-
son for the operation of the rail-
roads under private management.
Board Decision.
"Out of 1,02S decisions rendered
by the United States railroad labor
board, 703 decisions were against
railroad employees and 325 decisions
were favorable to the employees.
Out of the 1926 favorable decisions,
SO railroads violated 2O3 of them,
ignoring and defying the railroad
labor board, who did absolutely
nothing toward forcing the roads
to abide by their decisions. What
else, he said, could be expected
from this board, six members of
which were selected by Wall street
and appointed by a golf player in
Washington. He told of conditions
on the railroads that have refused
to settle the strike under the terms
Of the Baltimore plan. The Penn
sylvanla Lines. the so-called stand
ard railroad of the world instead
of operating normally, as their
press agents would have the public
believe. is now ON the verge of a
breakdown. as are the many other
large trunk lines that are still fore
ing the fight in the hope of break
ing the unions. Devotion to public
service is forgotten in their mad
efforts to destroy the labor unions
On the Rock Island train service
is demoralized.
/ 'Mr Huybrecht asserted that the
statements in the press that men
were returning to work on the var
ious railroads still on strike were
absolutely false and that the ranks
Of the striking shopmen were hold
ing intact except for a few scat
tered deserters. as is the situation
in the tri-cities on the Rock Is
land. The strenuous efforts of the
company officials and their ennis
saries. and the cunning methods
used by them to induce the striking
employees to return to work, have
all proved of no avail and only
tends to show that the services OF
real mechanics are greatly needed
in the railroad shops in spite OF
their claims Of normally.
IL. C. SEITZ,
Chairman Publicity Committee