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Show NEWS REVIEW OF CURRENT EVENTS Director General Hines Refuses to Raise the Wages of the Railway Employees. DISPUTE PASSED TO WILSON Gompers Against Organization of Labor La-bor Party Farmers' Representatives Representa-tives Deny Inherent Right to Strike Renewed Hope for Agreement on Peace Treaty. By EDWARD W. PICKARD. Director General Hines and the heads of the railway unions failed to reach an agreement as to wages, and the whole matter was passed on to President Wilson for his decision of the final attitude of the government. The possibility of a general railway strike and consequent paralysis of industry in-dustry loomed big, despite the assertion asser-tion of the leaders of the four brotherhoods brother-hoods that no such move was being considered yet. Mr. Hines, after many days of conference con-ference with the labor chiefs, came to the conclusion that, though the workers may be entitled to more pay under existing living conditions, it is economically impossible for the railway rail-way administration to grant the increases in-creases in view of the fact that federal feder-al control comes to an end" on March 1, It waa believed in Washington that the president would sustain Mr, Hines and appeal to the railway unions un-ions to submit their demands to the wage adjustment boards provided for in the pending railway legislation. The unions, however, do not seem to have any faith in such tribunals, and feel that they will have no chance after the roads have been returned to private ownership. Everyone concerned in the matter directly feels that the union chiefs have been very courteous and have shown a genuine desire to avoid serious seri-ous trouble. It is to be expected that some strikes will follow if the president presi-dent decides against the workers, but there has been no threat of a general strike. One such strike already has been ordered. The maintenance of way employees and shop laborers have been directed to quit work on February Febru-ary 17. Their president, Allen G. Barker, said, however, that the submission sub-mission 'Of the controversy to President Presi-dent Wilson might avert this, as it was at Mr. Wilson's request that the strike plans made last August were held in abeyance while the government tried to lower the cost of living. Since it mainly failed in this, said Mr. Barker, he felt Mr. Wilson would afford the men the relief thev had asked. This but he Is opposed to the bill generally for he is an advocate of government ownership. The union labor leaders were waiting until they could study the compromise bill, but they were expected to join with the opposition to the measure. The sections dealing with wage adjustments do not please them. Samuel Gompers. who several times lately has felt his throne tottering, has come out strongly against the organization or-ganization of a political labor party and urges that organized labor devote its effort to the election of members of congress who will be friendly to it. The third party plan is especially favored by the Plumb plan leaders, but Mr. Gompers warns that it would be fatal to the Interests of organized labor. His attack on congress was decidedly bitter, and called forth several sev-eral vigorous replies, particularly from Senator Sherman of Illinois and Representative Rep-resentative Blanton of Texas. The antagonism between union labor la-bor and the farmers was accentuated last week when representatives of the National grange, the American Farm Bureau federation, the Cotton States board, and the Association of State Farmers' union presidents met In Washington and drew up a memorial to congress denying that any group of organized workers possesses an inherent in-herent right to strike. Alluding especially to strikes of transportation workers, the memorial says: "Those who believe that labor has an Inherent right to organize a strike believe that such organizations have a right to starve the people of the cities to death, on the one hand, and to destroy de-stroy the property of the farmers on the other. "No such right had ever existed and no such right exists now. "No set of men has ever had the moral or legal right to destroy properly prop-erly or cause suffering by conspiring together, "What would be the verdict of the people if the farmers of the United States should suddenly decide to go on a strike and refuse to supply the wants and needs of those who are not in a position to produce food and clothing cloth-ing for themselves? They would be condemned from one end of the country coun-try to the other and the fact would be pointed out that they, as the owners and tillers of the land, had no right, either moral or legal, to bring about such a calamity. "If the farmers have no such rights, those who handle their products have no such rights." Hope springs eternal, and it is now the turn of the peace treaty compromisers compro-misers to hope that their efforts will be crowned with success in the near future. President Wilson's latest letter let-ter to Senator Hitchcock on the subject, sub-ject, apparently written before Viscount Vis-count Grey's pronouncement but made public much later, was interpreted as showing a yielding spirit, and the maneuvering ma-neuvering to reach an agreement was renewed. At this writing hope for early ratification rested largely on the were taken toward carrying out the purposes of the league. There was nothing new last week to indicate the course which the allies would pursue in the matter of the extradition ex-tradition of Germans accused of war crimes, except an unofficial statement that they would insist on the execution execu-tion . of the treaty clause. Thn Berlin government insists that delivery de-livery of the culprits is a physical Impossibility and also would be an incredible violation of the nation's honor. The latter point may be disregarded, disre-garded, but the former may have some weight. The British, it Is said, are willing to show leniency, but not so the French. The former crown prince got on the front page with an offer to the heads of the allied governments to surrender himself in place of the 900 whom the allies desire to put on trial a spectacular play to the grand stand which will have no results. Hungary's representatives went to Paris to present their country's answer an-swer to the peace treaty. It was understood un-derstood they would protest especially against the financial clauses, on the ground that It would be utterly impossible impos-sible for Hungary to make the payments pay-ments demanded. As for Austria, starving and freezing, she is still begging beg-ging some millionaires or wealthy nations na-tions to come to her rescue, offering to pledge all the royal palaces or the en tire country, If necessary. The latest successes reported by the soviet forces of Russia include'the occupation oc-cupation of Odessa after bloody fighting. fight-ing. The bolshevikl also crossed the Sea of Azov from Taganrog and obtained ob-tained a foothold on the southern coast between the Don and Yeya rivers. On their western borders the peace movement move-ment continues. The Letts have now signed an armistice with the Moscow government. At the opening of the British parliament the government made It plain that its policy would be to replace force by a commercial policy pol-icy in guiding Russia back to sanity san-ity and that the "ring of fire" to crush boishevism is a failure. At the same time Lloyd George and his colleagues said boishevism was not democracy and civilized methods of government must be adopted before any nation will make peace with Russia. The Democratic members of congress, con-gress, disregarding the wishes of President Wilson, formally decided in caucus to oppose any legislation for universal military training. Mr. Wilson's Wil-son's letter to the caucus not only urged that the matter be not made a party issue, at least until the national convention passed on it, but also made It clear that he heartily favored a project proj-ect for moderate military training. The resolution against the training legislation was supported, of course, by such men as Kltchin of North Carolina Caro-lina and was passed by a vote of 106 to 17. Since the big majority of the lower house has adopted the same attitude at-titude there seems to be small hope for universal military training at may be so, but official statistics do not bear out the claims of the maintenance main-tenance of way workers. Since 1913 their wages have increased on the average. av-erage. 100 per cent, while the cost of living in the same time has gone up S3.1 per cent. It Is not surprising, however, how-ever, that the workers should join in the general grabfest. Since the war began there has been no greater profiteer prof-iteer than organized labor, but the capitalist, big and small, set the example ex-ample and led the way. In Kansas the maintenance of way men have been officially warned that their contemplated strike will be in violation of that state's new industrial indus-trial court law. The congressional conference committee com-mittee fixed up a clever compromise railway legislation bill and Its speedy acceptance was predicted. But formidable for-midable opposition developed. Representatives Repre-sentatives P.arkley of Kentucky and Sims of Tennessee, both Democratic members of the conference refused to sign the report and announced they would tight the measure. Bark ley objects ob-jects to the provision for a o'i Pr cent return on earnings with an equal I division of excess earnings over 0 per I cent between the mads and a government govern-ment fund for the benefit of the weaker weak-er lines. Sims makes his light especially especial-ly against the luie-making provis.on ; report mat tue mini xesei ulluihsi3, Senator Lodge and a group of Democrats Demo-crats had agreed tentatively on a substitute sub-stitute for the Lodge reservation on article ar-ticle ten. This substitute declares the United States assumes no obligation to preserve the territorial integrity or political Independence of any other4 country, and Senator Hitchcock indignantly indig-nantly asserted it was no compromise and that its acceptance would be a complete surrender on the part of the supporters of the president. Lodge also proposed a series of amendments modifying the language of his reservations. reserva-tions. The president, it is stated, has so far recovered his health and strength that he has taken personal direction of the Democratic forces in the present fight over the treaty in the senate. j The council of the League of Nations Na-tions opened its meeting in London on Wednesday, with Arthur J. Balfour in the chair. The nations represented were Belgium, Brazil, Great Britain, France. Greece, Italy, Japan and Spain. Both Mr. Balfour and Leon Bourgeois of France expressed regret that lhe United States was not represented. repre-sented. To M. Bourgeois was intrusted intrust-ed the preparation of plans for the organization or-ganization of the permanent court of International justice, and other steps present. representative rvami uuu others of its supporters, however, have not yet given up. Approval of the system sys-tem expressed by the American Legion may have some influence on congress. Herbert Hoover and his possible candidacy can-didacy for the presidential nomination continue to afford food for speculation. Mr. Hoover has issued a long statement state-ment in which he denies that he Is seeking the White House job or has -y organization. He repeats that he must vote for the party that stands for the League of Nations if tha.t becomes a partisan issue, and adds that -he does not believe in more than two great parties. He declines to pledge his vote blindfolded, and does not say that he would accept either the Republican or the Democratic nomination If the platform suited him. Responding to questions from Senator Sena-tor Borah, General Wood says: "I believe be-lieve that we should accept the League of Nations as modified and safeguarded safeguard-ed by the existing Lodge reservations reservations which Americanize it and safeguard our traditional policies reservations which leave America absolutely free and untranimeled to follow the will of her own people in all questions of foreign and domestic pel-icy.'' |