The Washington times., 1924-05-06
UNIONS ASK
CONGRESS
HELP
Should Democrats Fail to Give
Aid, Labor Leaders Talk Of
Joining Third Party
By WILLIAM HARD.

tial politics is getting played
around the Barley bill, which to-
day is the sudden centerpiece Of
The battles between, all factions
In Congress.
This bill, which abolishes the
present Railroad Labor Board
and which establishes in its
place a new set of various diff
ferent boards for adjustment"
and for mediation and concilia-
ton" and for arbitration" may
turn out to be as famous as the
Adamson law, which similarly
was drawn up by the railroad
trade unions and which was
passed under the Wilson admin
istration and upheld by the United
States Supreme Court after large
and intense political party and
factional struggles.
Has Had Long Sleep.
The Adamson law established the
eight-hour day as the basic" day
FOR the computing of compensation
In train service. The Barley bill
IL charged by it's enemies with
handing over all the relations be-
tween employers and employees on
railroads into the hands of the
So-called standard" railroad trade
unions, to which it is admitted that
large numbers of railroad employees
do not belong.
The bill was referred to the
House Committee on Interstate and
Foreign Commerce, where the chair
man, Mr.. Samuel e. WinsIow, of
Massachusetts, a regular Republl-
can, administered to 1t a good long
sleeping potion Of strenuous neglect
The bill survived this treatment,
and was resurrecteG out of the III
terstate and Foreign Commerce
Committee into the Committee of
the Whole House by a combination
Of Democrats plus La Toilette Re.
pubiicans.
There Is no doubt that the bill
IL ardently wanted by the stand
ard" railroad trade unions. They
drew It. They brought it in. They
have actively lobbied for 1t. With
them. it is the great instant test
of whether q Congressman is for
them or against them.
Supreme Test Of Strength.
Meanwhile there is no doubt,
either, that the railroad manage
ments also regard this bill as a
AP OF 0rI1A1y
most of them, have never loved
the present Railroad Labor Board.
They nevertheless are intensely
and emphatically opposed to the
new arrangements which the Bark
ley bill would substitute for the
present Railroad Labor Board.
All other arguments about this
bill are dust-storms and smoke.
screens. The point is that the
railroad trade unions, following a
certain theory of labor relation.
ships on railroads; want it; and
the railroad arrangements, follow
ing a certain other theory, do not
want 1t.
The nub Of the Barley bill, from
the standpoint of the controversy
between the unions and the man.
agements, is this:
The Barley bill outrlghtly or,
ders and compels the formation Of
adjustment boards" on a national
scale. these boards to consist Of
equal numbers of representatives
from the railroad managements and
from the nationally organized asso.
Citations of railroad employees.
It Is argued against these boards
OF adjustment" that they would
be expensive. This argument Is in
fact subsidiary and incidental. The
whole expense Of all the boards pro.
posed by the Barley bill would not
be more than possibly $4,000 a
year in excess of the cost of the
Railroad Labor Board which now
exists.
True Reason for Turmoil.
The true point IL not the expense.
The true point, which is making
turmoil between parties and factions
and which may make enormous DOS
sible differences in the outcome of
this years party presidential cam.
paigning, is that on the one side
the railroad arrangements detest and
deplore and resist the proposed
change, whereas the railroad trade
unions, which are the VitalizinR core
OF any and all prospective third
party" movements in this country,
delight in the proposed change and
demand 1t and seem to think that
without 1t the case will be one Of
"aD is lost"
There has been no such test Of
railroad management strength and
OF railroad trade union strength in
Congress since the Adamson law
was granted to the railroad trade
unions by the Wilson administra.
ton.
Democratic Aid Sought.
The railroad trade unions got
the Adamson law from the Demo
Gratis. In the year 1915, without
the subsequent support of the
railroad trade unions, Mr.. Wilson
might well have been defeated Tor
the Presidency by Charles Evans
Hughes. AS things were, Mr.. WI.
son won.
Now once more on the eve of
q Presidential election the railroau
trade unions come forward with n
proposition on which they are viii
Ing to base their support or their
defiance Of any Presidential candi.
date.
1t happens that at this moment
they have two great national "a.
Eorite personal heroes, One Is
William Gibbs McAdoo. Of the