davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-12-21

some assistance might be given to the
roads in the receivership class.
1t Is doubtful whether private CAPT
tai can, in any event, be expected to
provide large sums to refund maturi
ties and pay for necessary improve
ments. Present conditions are hardly
encouraging to the private investor.
Besides, the greatly enlarged public ex
penditures of the administration absorb
substantial amounts of capital that
might in another day be turned to pri
vate enterprise. After a staff survey
of officers who have charge of invest
ments of large amounts of capital for
insurance companies, banks and sim
liar institutions, Co-ordinator Eastman
reported:
Beset With Fears.
"They 1.-THE investors) are beset with
fears with respect to railroad invest
ments. The confidence inspired by the
provisions of the transportation act
of 1920 has gone. and establishment
has taken its place. They fear the
competition of motor trucks and other
transportation agencies, the obso
lescence and probable abandonment of
much railroad property, what may hap
pen from monetary imitation, the oper-
alton of the securities act, the con
struction of the st. Lawrence waterway
the neglect of railway maintenance,
increase in taxation, domination of Ia
Dor, the possibility that underlying Sc
curities will not be sufficiently protect.
ed in reorganizations. the delay in eff
fecting railroad consultations. regula-
ton by the commission, and a host of
other things"
Besides capital assistance, the rail
roads maintain that federal legislative
policies protecting them from competi
ton and unfair taxation are necessary.
Even If the government should take
over the roads. it is still not certain
that it could finance them more cheaply
than private capital 1t would have to
pay for the roads, of course, and the
reproduction cost of the railways is
estimated by the Interstate Commerce
commission at nearly $21 .OO0,OOO.OOO.
There are plenty of foreign govern
ment-owned railways to be cited in con-
sdering the entrance of the United
States into the railroad business
Whether they can be compared fairly
with an American venture of the kind
is doubtful. Unfortunately. the most
comparable and the closest, the Cana
dian National railways, is also one of
the horrible examples" It's aggre-
gate deficit for nine years ending In
1881 was $1,112.O00,OOO, not counting
$456.OOO,O00 taken out of capital-not
earnings-for improvements and extern
sions. If it had expended all that par
lament authorized it in 1880, the Cana
dian National railways would have eat.
en- up seven-eighths of the tax receipts
ITS debt is one-third Of the agricultural
wealth of Canada, a great agricultural
country.
G. Western Newspaper Union.
The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-12-21
BY WILLIAM c. uTLEY

IN ABROAD legislation Of some
~ kind or other Is certain to de-
mand some attention at the
regular session of congress, 1t
Is generally agreed by those In the
know in the Nations Capital. Just
what proportions 1t will assume Is
matter that has caused perhaps too
much concern on the part of the rail-
roads themselves, perhaps too little on
the part of the more or less apathetic
general public.
Government ownership of the rail
carriers is the bugaboo-or the saliva
tion-that is feared by the private In
terests who have developed and oper-
ated the roads or endorsedly antici-
pated by the proponents and cham
pions of the New Deal administration
which has already entered several
fields of business in one way or an
other. Whether or not government
ownership or operation, or both, will
have any part in the legislation being
drafted for submission, Is not known.
No information has been given out as
to outcome, If any. of the recent con-
ference between the federal co-ordina-
tor of railroads, Joseph B. Eastman,
and President Roosevelt
The co-ordinator's views may be con-
tanned, however, in this excerpt from
Mr.. Eastmans letter to the Interstate
Commerce commission early in 1884:
Theoretically and logically public
The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-12-21

cations and provide for future extern
sions and improvements is unsound.
Mr.. Eastman, himself, said In an
other part of his report to the Inter-
state Commerce commission: "There Is
no such thing as aggregate railroad
credit The supplies of capital must
be obtained by individual railroads,
each on its own credit. There are
wide variations in these individual sit
uations. Many railroads are CAPT
talized very conservatively, but many
are oyer-capitalized, whatever test may
be applied. 1t is essential to keep
these variations in mind in any con-
sideration of railroad credit. At pres
ent few railroads would be able to
place new issue of securities in the
private market on anything like a sat
isfactory basis"
The problem as it stands now is that
of each railway to refund that part of
the total which constitutes its own IL
ability. 1t becomes apparent that some
railways will have to be aided in some
manner by the government. During
the period from 1923 to 1929, inclusive,
only per cent of the operated railway
mileage of the country failed to meet
fixed charges on indebtedness. but in
1882 approximately "a per cent were
unable to meet them. The figure i'm
proved somewhat to about 81 per cent
for 1888, but little or no improvement
Is looked for for 1884.
There are some 10000 miles of line
about one-fourth of the total-which
have met fixed charges with comfort
able margin to spare, and another &C..
600 miles which enjoy fairly secure
position in that respect. However. A.
600 miles, or about one-sixth of the to.
tai. are in receivership and will, GER
tainly, need complete financial reorgan-
ization. with scaling down of debts
There are another 5000 miles whose
only hope of crowding into the safety
zone is a rapid and hearty pickup in
business.
The roads, of course, feel that those
III q od1C COuuiblOH uO HUI OCoCAFC " NC
acquired by the government for rea-
sons Of expediency which do not apply
to them, contending that the proper
course is for the government to aid
those roads which are in shaky state.
upturn Would Help.
1t is agreed that in the cases of many
of the roads general upturn in traffic
would be the most important factor in
the restoration of railway health. This
would have to be about so per cent
above the 1888 level. but could be Is
to 20 per cent below the level of the
period from 1925 to 1929. an increase
that does not seem probable in the i'm
mediate future, at least.
Other than those which must be COM
pletely reorganized The roads which
need assistance may be said to fall into
three groups. The first of these in
cludes those which meet fixed charges
fairly well, but whose bond maturities
are pretty troublesome. and whose Re
The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1934-12-21

ownership and operation meets the
known ills of the present situation
better than any other remedy. Public
regulation of privately owned and
operated industry, reaching deeply into
such matters as rates, service, capital
ization, accounting extensions and
abandonments, mergers and consOlida-
ton, is hybrid arrangement. When
an industry becomes so public in char
acter that such intimate regulation of
its affairs becomes necessary, in strict
logic it would seem that it should
cease to masquerade as a private in
dustry and the government should as
sumo complete responsibility, financial
and otherwise. l incline to the
belief that such ownership and opera
ton will be the ultimate solution of
the railroad problem. .
However, If and when that time
arrives, the impelling motive will prob
ably not be logic or theory, but the
practical one that private enterprise
and capital will not be able to carry
on successfully"
Uncle Sam, Railroader.
There are really only three or four
reasons why governments in the past
have taken over the railroads of their
respective nations: To maintain sol
vency and meet financial obligations
when the private companies seem I'M
able or unwilling to do SO; to insure
transportation without discrimination
in rates or service; to make certain
that employees are paid decent, living
wages, and, in few cases, to facili-
tate military plans and operations.
AS the co-ordinator has said, If the
United States government should pur-
chase the railroads from private hands
for public operation, the only con-
ceivable important reason will be that
Of the financial difficulties in which the
roads have found themselves since the
beginning of the great depression.
Advocates Of government ownership
contend that the government can
finance railway operation much more
cheaply than the private companies
can, because government bonds COM
mand a lower interest rate, and their
federal backing makes them attractive
investment; because the government
could meet income deficits out Of gen.
eral appropriations during periods
when depression would ordinarily
threaten the roads with bankruptcy
and receivership, and because the van
ished necessity to produce profit,
coupled with the economies of CONSOLE
dalton of all lines and equipment,
would effect savings in operation.
Heavily In Debt.
The Indebtedness of the railroads
which natures during the period up to
and Including 1910 is estimated at 81
6l4,S59,SO1, but some of the roads are
in favorable position to pull through
the situation in good shape. Railway
executives contend that to classify the
railroad industry in general, therefore,
as unable to take care of capital obli-
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-24
Harlem w orkers Meet
Tonight to Protest
failing of Ramirez

NEW YORK, A mass protest
meeting, organized by the Harlem
Section of the Communist Party,
and supported by all of the Span
ish revolutionary organizations of
New York, will be held tonight at
8 o'clock at the Park Palace, 2 West
10th st. Fifth Ave and Central
Park, demanding the release of
Arnando Ramirez, Secretary Cen
eral of the Mela Club and Com
munist Party candidate for AS
semblyman in the 18th Assembly
District of Manhattan, New York.
Armando Ramirez was arrested
in Havana while representing the
Spanish revolutionary organizations
of New York at the Cuban National
Convention Against War, Fascism
and Intervention.
Ernesto Solo, Secretary of the
New York District Spanish Buro
of the Communist Party, who will
act as chairman on this meeting,
made the following statement:
THE mass protest meeting to be
held in the Park Palace will not
only deal with the case of Comrade
Armando Ramirez, but with the
Cuban situation, as an expression
of solidarity with the Cuban rev.
dictionary movement, against the
bloody Mendieta- Batista govern
ment and American imperialism,
against oppression and exploitation
of the toiling masses"
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-24
15OO Scranton Jobless Attacked AS They Demand RELIEF
Ohio Workers
Meet to Plan
Relief Fight
Representatives of %
Org anizatiOns Set
Demands in Akron

AKRON, Ohio, Aug. 23-Fifty-
six delegates representing % work
ing class organizations of Summit
County met here Friday, Aug. II,
and outlined unified campaign to
obtain relief and unemployment in
surance.
The main report was made by
Ben Atkins, representing the I'M
employment Councils of Akron, who
spoke on the situation Of the I'M
employed and relief workers in
Summit county and outlined a pro-
gram for united struggle for ade-
quste relief for the jobless, the re-
lief workers and part time workers.
Resolutions Of demands and a
plan of action were unanimously
adopted. The demands cover: cash
relief of SIS week for single work
ers plus 81 for each number of the
family, a minimum weekly wage of
SIS week for all relief workers
and four full weeks work a month,
no eyictions, and the endorsement
OF the Workers Unemployment In
surance Bill by the City Council
and the County commissioners.
Other resolutions demanded the
freedom Of the ScottSboro boys, of
Angelo Herndon, Tom Mooney and
Ernst Thaelmann. A resolution
against lynchings, terror and the
menace of fascism in America, and
calling for a united struggle was
unanimously adopted.
Proposals were made and COM
mittee elected to work out plans for
a mass march and demonstration
to the City Council.
The demands adopted at the
conference have been embodied in
the plans, and all workers groups
will be urged to endorse it and CO.
operate in carrying out the planned
action.
The demands follow: ~ Free
hospital, medical and dental care
for all unemployed and their
families; 90 free clothing and
shoes to the jobless and their de-
pendents; 90 free transportation
for the unemployed; "a restoration
Of all confiscated license plates and
the right of the unemployed to
operate and own motor vehicles; %
Fairgrounds, gymnasiums, SWIM
ming pools, nurseries, etc. to be
erected in working class neighbor-
hoods; Co street paving, sewer ex-
tension, etc in workers neighbour
hoods; Cd full time school session
and payments of teachers salaries
in cash.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-24
U.M.W.A. Members
ReUOLt As District
BLdckHstS Nominees
Miners From Several
Towns Demonstrate
at ShamOkin

SHAMOKIN, Pa. = Six hundred
members of the United Mine Work
ers of America invaded the city of
Shamokin, Pa, Tuesday afternoon,
and stopped before the U. M. w.
Of A., District headquarters. in
protest against blacklisting of their
candidates in the U. M. w. A.
elections.
The miners gathered from all
points, Mt. Carmel, Kulpmont, Ash
land, Shenandoah, Shaft, Pottsyille
and other towns. The pilgrimage
was a protest against the Executive
Board of District of the U. M.
w. Of A. ruling the names of F. L.
Blase, Leo Sitko and George Wargo
of the official ballot. The election
is to be held September IS.
BlaSe and Sitko, who lost their
jobs during the equalization strike
OF 1882, have not worked since. Ac-
cording to an Interpretation of John
L. Lewis, president of the U. M
W. A, these men are not eligible
to run for Office because they are
not working at the trade.
The ruling came as a shock to
the great number of supporters, who
want to know why coal companies
may discharge militant union men
from union activities and why ]. L.
Lewis may sanction the action of
the coal companies and retaliate by
ruling that these militant union
men are not eligible to hold office.
Several speakers took part in the
meeting, which was held two blocks
from the mine workers head
quarters. A feeling of resentment
and hate was expressed by each
speaker who each in his turn de-
nounced the Hitler of the miners"
and the undetermined district
president, j. Brennan.
1t was reported that So of "a
local unions endorsed Blase to OPP
pose Brennan.
A resolution was unanimously
adopted to send letters of protest
to the District Executive Board and
to John L. Lewis. Also all members
present were urged to attend meet
ings of their respective local unions
and have local units send letters in
protest to the arbitrary ruling.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-24
Farm Workers Accept
Textile Workers
Plea for Aid

BIRMINGHAM, Ala, Aug. %
Demanding 81 per hundred pounds
of cotton instead of the fifty cents
rate paid last fall, the Sharecrop-
pers' Union of Alabama Is preparing
to lead a strike of cotton pickers in
the states Black Belt. The strike
will involve share troopers and farm
laborers.
Special efforts are being made by
the union to bring white farm work
ers into the strike side by side with
the Negroes, in an effort to achieve
a real united struggle.
AS part of it's strike preparations,
the union is distributing 10000
printed manifestos throughout the
cotton fields, clearly and simply ex-
planning the meaning of the New
Deal and the Bankhead Bill. These
manifestos call for unity in the
battle against the starvation condi-
tons which prevail cmonT The
farming masses.
In making known its plans for a
wide strike this fall, the Sharecrop-
pers' Union also announced that it
had received a letter from the Har-
riman (Tenn) local of the United
Textile Workers of America, asking
for the sharecroppers' support
against the strikebreaking NRA.
This support will not only be glad
ly extended to the textile workers,
sharecropper leaders declared, but
its union will also try to spread
the strike of the textile workers into
the mills situated in the Black Belt.
The union called for widespread
support for the impending cotton
pickers' strike.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-24
Detroit Relief
WOrkersPlan
State March
Conference Outlin e S
Hunger March of
Unemployed

DETROIT, Mich, Aug. %. - The
building of a Wayne County Relief
Council and State march to the
capitol at Lansing were decided on
at conference of about one hun
dred delegates of relief workers
from various projects on Aug. II at
Danish Brotherhood Hall. The con-
ference was called by the Relief
Workers Protective Association.
John Pace, secretary of the R. w.
P. A., in his report, pointed out the
partial victory won in the increases
granted to some workers in the new
August budgets. He declared that
wherever organization was strong
est, there the workers got larger
increase.
The conference decided to build
relief committees in all trade union
locals and in mass and fraternal
organizations. The building of a
youth section of the r. w. P. A.
and the contracting of women's or
CARNATIONS for the purpose of tax
ing up special women's problems
were also voted.
The Wayne County Relief Coun-
Gil that will be established will be
composed of delegates from all
trade unions and other organiza-
tions that have members working
on relief jobs or receiving direct re-
lief in order to get the broadest
support in the fight for increased
relief and for higher pay for relief
workers.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-24
Bisbee Miners Win
Over Company Union

BISBEE. Ariz. IF. P)-Decisively
indorsing the Bisbee Miners Union
to represent them in collective bar
gaining in an election supervised by
the Regional Labor Board, Bisbee
copper miners won signal victory
over the hated, anti-union Phelps
Dodge Corp. Almost 100 per cent Of
the men voted.
The union is affiliated with the
International Union Of Mine, Mill
g. Smelter Workers, A. F. of L.
The alternative was company
union which had been forced upon
the men when the N. I. r. A. was
enacted. The victory is all the
greater since the company had
threatened to close down and used
economic pressure on the men to
defeat a union triumph.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-24
Houston, Connecticut Battle in Stretch !!

PRNTING in the closing laps of the 10000 new reader
drive Houston and Connecticut are running far out in
'front.' leaving twentour Districts gaggng in their dust
The past sevenday burst added per cent to the Hous
ton quota and 46 per cent to that of Connecticut Deter
mined to each other before September l. these two
Districts are giving their respective rivals clear view
OF their heels in the District Socialist competition
Third and fourth place positions are being held by
Denver and Boston, with every possibility of the latter
surging into the lead during the final week of the inen
sified drive.
Socialist competition, frightened as New York sped
past Chicago with 8S1 reader gain for the week
Holding its own Buffalo narrowed the distance between
itself and Minneapolis, while ST. Louis passed Milwaukee,
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-24
.LynnAFLShOe
Local Strikes
Despite Chiefs
Joint Council Threatens
to Revoke Charter
of Edge Makers

LYNN, Mass, Aug. 23.-The strikv
Of more than $50 edge makers in
this city continues over the head of
the Lynn Joint Council and the
Resident General Executive Board
Of the United Shoe and Leather
Workers Union. Mass picketing Of
all Lynn shoe shops has been
ordered by the Executive Board Of
Locals.
Unanimous votes Of the entirs
membership Of the Edge Makers
Local to continue the strike. was the
answer given to the Lynn Joint
Council and the Resident General
Executive Board when they ordered
the strikers back to work on the
threat Of removing their charter.
Utter disgust was expressed BY
the rank and file shoe workers when
they became aware Of the speech
made by General Organizer Mack
esy in which he stated that the
Shoe manufacturers cannot assume
the burden Of a general increase at
this time" and that he feared "other
locals might take similar action to
that Of the edge makers that would
prove the destruction Of the organ
ization."
Indicating that he was ready to
so to the extent Of making a scab
agency of the union, Mackesy
demagogically stated further that
Il would resign my position rather
than send anyone to work in the
place of the strikers-but we can
not stop the manufacturers from
taking advantage of Article 2 in the
agreement which gives them the
right to replace workers we can
not supply within 48 hours"
Many workers have already quit
their jobs and joined the picket
lines where the manufacturers have
taken advantage of this clause in
the agreement. Wood Heelers Local
10 has a motion on the records to
demand a similar increase to that
Of the edge makers. The Stitchers
Local also voted not to work with
any scabs taking the place of the
edge makers.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-24
700 Single Jobless Men
Plan Fight Against Erie
Forced Labor Schemes

ERIE, Pa. Aug. 23-Seven hun
dred "transients," living at the F..
E. R. A. transient shelter here. held
a mass meeting in Perry Square.
Monday, in protest against a plan
ned forced labor scheme.
The transieTlts were getting board
and room and few clothes. In
cooperation with Nate Harrington,
a Y. M. G. A. director, the Tran
sient Bureau proposed forced
labor scheme to give the boys men
tai rest" The plan was to have
them work eighteen to twa1ty-four
hours a week on projects previously
done by G. w. A. and relief work
ers at wages of fifty cents an hour
and up.
In answer to this forced labor
scheme a group of militant single
unemployed workers called the mass
meeting, where the following de-
mands were adopted: jobs at a min
imum of twelve hours work a week
to be paid at the rate of fifty cents
an hour, union rates for skilled
workers; the workers to have the
right to choose eating and lodging
places.
A mass delegation of sixty-one
will present these demands to the
Transient Bureau. The Unemploy-
ment Councils pledged full support
to the SINGLE wOrkere
A member Of the Socialist Labor
Party, which had previously held
five meetings of these same tran
sients, was booed when he attempt
ed to dissuade the workers from
action.
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-24
Cotton Pickers Of Alabama
Prepare Strike for More Pay
Led by Sharecroppers Union
5000 Mexican Pecan
Workers Win Strike
by deg

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, FP)-
More than 5000 Mexican workers
won higher wage scale after sew
eral weeks of strike. Although
wages for shelters were increased
from &c and &c to Sc and &c a
pound, and from Is cents and 80
cents to so cents a pound for crack
ers, this wage will allow no more
than rs cents day for eight hours
Of work. Under the old scale, a
worker often made no more than
IS cents day.
This new scale will be in effect
only through September. In Oc-
tober, the off season" will be at an
end, and the regular shelling sea-
son will open. Unless the workers
The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-08-24
Moulders' Union Chiefs
Try to Split Chicago
Foundry W orkers'Union
DAILY Worker Midwest Bureau)

CHICAGO, Aug. 23.-Leaders OF
the international Moulders Union
put through measures today de-
signed to split the ranks of the
metal workers even more than has
already been done. Rejecting a
proposal to affiliate the Foundry
Workers Union with the Moulders,
the Moulders convention voted to
try to steal the membership from
the foundry union.
According to the proposal of the
committee accepted by the conven-
ton Sunday, individual foundry
workers are to be recruited direct
to the Moulders. Delegates re-
ported proudly that one-siXth of the
foundry union membership had all
ready joined the moulders' union.
The foundry workers, however.
are not to receive full union bene-
fits. They will not get unemploy-
ment aid from the moulders' union.