The Communist Official Paper of the Communist Party of America Vol. I, No. Chicago, Saturday, August 23, 1919 Five Cents Nationalizing the the Railroads Glenn Plumb, a Chicago lawyer the shipper pays for transportation, un ternational character. The incorporaand counsel for the organized railway less it can be deluded into believing that tion of the railroads into the United employes of America, has occupied the a high rate for shipping commodities States government was merely the means front pages of the capitalist press for the will enable the retailer to raise the price of obtaining the maximum of power past two weeks in his efforts on behalf of of his merchandise. The worker who is from the State military machine.
the railway brotherhoods to induce con al all familiar with economics will re But now that the crisis is over the owngress to accept his tripartite system fuse to sympathize with the petty busi ers of the railroads are requesting the of railway control as a reconstruction ness men in their struggle against the restoration of the management to the measure and as superior to the old sys powerful combinations of capital. The pre war basis. For that reason they retem of operation of the transportation price of commodities is not changed be sent the Plumb plan. Many others, not system by private capitalists. This is a cause one group of capitalists have to directly interested in the railroads, obcounter demand of the owners who de pay a higher wage or another group ject to the plan because they realize the sire the government to relinquish control higher freight rates.
confusion that will result from such a of the railways to the pre war management.
The Plumb plan is foredoomed to failcombination. The principal objection of Mr. Pietz seems to be that the governThe Plumb plan provides that the gov ure because it attempts to reconcile the ment, which he prefers to call public ernment purchase the railroads and turn irreconcilable antagonism between the has only one third of the representation them over at a nominal rental to the Na working class and the capitalist class.
on the board of directors. We are in tional Railways Operating Corporation The opposition to the plan which enamclined to believe that Mr. Pietz under.
to manage. This operating corporation ates from capitalist sources, is not wholstands the fact that the government does is to be under the control of a board of ly opposition to nationalization of railnot and cannot represent the heteroge.
fifteen directors, five of whom represent roads, as such, but opposition to trip neous mass of people constituting the the classified employees, or working tite control. Government ownership of public, so his concern over the interests force; five official employees, or mana railroads and other large industries is of the dear public is merely subgers, superintendents, etc. and five to the inevitable result of this stage of in terfuge behind which he hides his de represent the publie to be appointed by dustrial development under capitalism. sire for government control of the transthe president of the United States. This It is inevitable because the large indus portation system by having a larger numboard of directors will have full control tries have outgrown the control of indi ber of government appointed nembers of over all the railways of the country and vidual capitalists or groups or capital the board.
will be the court of last resort in fixing ists. As the state represents the capitalAnother spokesman of capital, Senafreight and passenger rates and other ist olass as a whole it must assume consources of revenue.
tor Myers, of Montana, becomes deliriIt will also have trol of these industries. The idea that the power to determine wages, but the any capitalist government (state) repre tives of the workers having a voice in the ous in contemplation of the representaright of employees to strike in case they sents the people controlled by that gov control of the railways. The following are not satisfied with the decision will ernment is a childish delusion, as the not be abridged.
function of the state is and always has is his lugubrious wail: Opponents of the bill, speaking before been that of an instrument of coercion Already the railroad employes have threatened to strike if they are not given an increase the various chambers of commerce and in the hands of one class for the purpose in wages. for one do not favor increasing manufacturers associations, seem to be of maintaining its supremacy over anoththeir wages. The increase would not be justified.
greatly concerned about insufficient rep er class. The State has always been the Accompanying their demand for increased resentation of the publie. As an exam means whereby a minority in human so wages is a demand that the industries of the country be sovietized. This demand also is ac.
ple of the attitude of these public spir ciety imposed its will by force upon the companied by threats of dire disaster to the ited citizens, we quote the following majority; under chattel slavery it was the country if the so called Plumb plan is not accepted.
from Mr. Charles Pietz, chairman of State of the slave master; under feudal do not favor sovietizing the industries. It the railroad committee of the Illinois ism the State of the feudal baron; under the railroads are sovietised, that will be only an Manufacturers Association: capitalism the State of the capitalist entering wedge. vast propaganda is being carried on with the sovietising of all industries The bill is about as bad as it can be made. class. The coercive force of the State as the end in view.
It has not even the ordinary safeguards that is brought into play not only against at The country would be thoroughly Russianstate Socialism would provide for the public in ized if the Plumb plan were carried out to ita essence surrenders two thirds of the voting con tempts on the part of the subject class logical conclusion.
trol of this vast property to the emploves with to contest the supremacy of the ruling Thus Mr. Plumb, as a reward for his out power of revocation, and leaves them free to levy wholesale tribute on the general public. class, but against individual members efforts to solve one of the nation probWith all the powers and privileges granted the of the ruling class itself when their in lems, has been consigned to the ranks of er ployes, there is still no certainty of continued terests conflict with the interests of cap those whom the. conservative politicians operation, for the employes are not compelled even under this extravagantiy liberal plan of self italism in general. An example of such call bolsheviki. Mr. Plumb friends management to waive their rights to strike. As a sh pper and a citizen, should like action on the part of the state was re may consider that an epithet of degrato be told what advantage, or profit, the public vealed during its conduct of the war. dation; but the revolutionist will consider will get outs de of the privilege of paying the yearly deficit.
Early in the war it was found necessary it unwarranted flattery of Mr. Plumi.
This spokesman of the manufacturers for the government to control the trans In his defense we are willing to furnish seems to be greatly concerned about the portation system and, as the representa a mass of evidence to prove his innocence interests of the publie, bat on careful ex tive of the capitalist class as a whole of the charge of endeavoring to sovamination we learn that the particular it did not take into consideration the spe ietize America. Furthermore, we can assure the capitalist class that it has section of the public Mr. Pietz seemscial and immediate interests of the railconcerned about is the petty bourgeois way magnates, despite the opposition of nothing to fear from the tripartite pian.
shipper. He may imagine the public is some of the most prominent. The large Any group of workingmen, such as the organized railway workers of Amergreatly concerned about the quarrels of financial capitalists, although controlling billions in railroad stock, readily relin ica, who believe they can secure any the shipper with the railroad companies, but the working portion of the public quished control of it in order to more ef benefits from such a combination are in(Continued on Page 7)
is not at all concerned about the price ficiently protect larger interests of an in