Show Compel Is a 1 Hard lIard Word S SAMUEL nO quoted in a dispatch from om Paris in an interview inter on yn the railroad s situation surprises us with a hard word Mr 11 Gompers has grown greatly in public esteem eem on account of his finn firm and find patriotic stand for justice an and fair play pIny during luring the war var All the themore themore themore more reason for astonishment when he says American railway workers intend not only to toCO CO COMPEL the government Q to take over the railways but butwill butwill will demand as s the next logical step that labor shall shaIl be granted g a permanent C equal ual voice in railway a ad ad- ministration Now No we all nIl know that the railroads will never again nin he be handled in exactly the same way as they were before before before be be- fore the war Ve We know kno that they must and will be bc berun berun run to give the greatest good to the C greatest number We e do 10 not know yet vet ct what plan or system of manaGement management manage manaGe- ment merit will 11 prove most workable Most of or us feel that the thic interests of a hundred million people arc are of greater importance than the in interests in- in crests of cither either railroad owners or workers For either cither of these two groups to endeavor or to secure some permanent permanent perma perma- nent advantage rc at the cost of permanent disa disadvantage to the body of the thc nation naHon would be wrong and unfair One thing seems certain railroad operation in future future fu fu- future fu- fu ture will never yield large profits Indeed it appears that it will require a desperate struggle to make ends meet A loose loos system of operation would mean rising co costs ts with r deficits to be met either by in increasing increasing in- in creasing frei freight ht rates and passenger fares or by heavy taxation Government ownership and operation bedeviled bedeviled be be- deviled de by political meddling and muddling would likely prove provo e expensive e and disappointing Mr r. Gompers Mr Stone Mr l Garretson and all the themen themen themen men under them arc perfectly free to use all their powers of persuasion and enlightenment in seeking to show bow the rest of us the merits of their plan The The rest of us ought to consider their proposal fairly and with open minds But thc they should not say they arc are going g I to compel Congress to do their bidding A t l lA I |