The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1951-03-08
Senator Suggests 'ReoI Seizure
Should Include Company Profits

Washington (LPA)-Sen. Wayn,
Morse OR, Ore.) accused the White
House on March 5 of being "on the
side of the carriers" in the two
year railroad dispute. "Real seizure
not token seizure would bring botf
quicker settlements and fewer
seizures" he added.
Interrupting testimony Of J. P
Shields, Chief Grand Engineer OF
the Brotherhood of Locomotive En-
gineers, at a Senate Labor Com
mittee hearing, Morse asked if rail
road workers felt that government
seizure twas so much velvet for
the railroads-sort of a double
barrelled guarantee that they
won't be losers"
When Shields agreed workers die
and that that was the reason for
"low morale" Morse asked if il
would help to "pass a real seizure
law-even over a Presidential veto
if necessary-that would make it
as hard on the carriers as on the
men,"
Terming the present seizure a
"farce," the Oregon Republican de-
clared the only fair thing would
be to pay management only for the
use of the equipment while giving
workers a reasonable" wage.
He said the present arrangement
is Confusing to the American peo-
pie, they do not understand and it
is the job of the White House to
make them understand"
"The White House is on the side
Of the carriers, has been ever since
this started. The White House owes
it to the people of the nation to
step in now and settle this dis
pute," Morse stated. Later he de-
cared that "the President has not
stepped in as yet, except to guar
antee no loss to the railroads"
After this ruckus is over, Morse
intimated it should be more diff
cult for "White House interfer-
ence." "If we don't stop this inter
ference somewhere the w h t e
House will become a sort of a super
Labor Board. 1t should reserve its
functions for the very, very few
cases where real emergency is
facing the government"
Morse also read a letter from
Karl X. Bendetsen, assistant Sec
retary Of the Army, which said
after the dispute was over the
Army (as it had in the past) would
sign releases" with the 1876 Class
| railroads involved. Under these
agreements the railroads would re-
ceive the profits they would have
made had there been no seizure and
they, in turn, would agree not to
hold the government responsible
for operation losses.
Interpreting this and other por-
tions of the letter to mean that the
roads could actually sue the gov
ernment if they didn't make as
much as they expected, Morse call
ed it "a skunky agreement one
that stinks . one that has a ter
rifle odor and against the Am
erican ideals of fair play"
1--WE can't be monkeying around
any longer with the kind of fumb-
ling we've had at the White
House." Morse declared. "The time
has come to get no strike, no lock
out agreements and to tell you fell
lows-both management and labor
that the government is bigger
than both Of you. You'll be treated
all right, but there will be no token
agreements like this one"
w. p. Kennedy, president of thel
of Railroad Trainmen,
denounced the seizure as "one-
sided compulsion" and said "thel
Army was not organized to stageI
ln offensive against the AmericanI
abor movement"
The BRIT chief, whose union wasl
cited for contempt for the "sick
strike staged by switchmen in Jan
nary, charged that carriers had en-
gagged in a widespread campaign toI
sell the public "a deliberate false
hood" that an initiated memoran-l
ium on Dec. 81, 1850 was binding.
The memorandum, later turned
iown by the general chairmen ofl