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Show THE CITIZEN The Socialist party The plank reads: seeks to attain its end by orderly and constitutional methods, so long as the ballot box, the right of representation and civil liberties are maintained. Here is a clear threat that if elected represen-rfctativof the Socialists are barred from legislatures the overthrow of the government by violent means will not be kept out of the Socialist programme. On the other hand, if the duly chosen representatives are given seats in legislative bodies the Socialists will, if their pledges be worth anything, confine their activities to orderly and constitutional methods for the control of government and the establishment of the socialistic system. the New York assembly. es BUILDING UNIONS ON WARPATH If unions throughout the county adopt the attitude of the Building Trades Council of Salt Lake it is difficult to see how a policy of good will can prevail, and without good will there must necessarily be continuous warfare between labor and capital. Early in the spring the contractors suggested that an agreement for the year be entered into and the representatives of the building trades expressed a willingness to come to an understanding. Seven representatives were named by each side and, after due consideration, adopted a working agreement which the union men said had been found satisfactory in Portland. With some slight changes so as to conform to local conditions the document was presented to the Building Trades Council for approval. Finding that the workmen did not know what was in the agreement the contractors posted it in various buildings so that all concerned might be informed. Meantime the unions and even their representatives who had agreed to the plan seemed to lose interest in it. They delayed action for some weeks and when urged to pass upon the plan they did not object to any of its details but expressed themselves as offended that the contractors should have posted the agreement before a vote had been taken. Finally, when the vote was taken, the plan was unanimously rejected, although it provided for the closed shop and practically all those things for which unions contend. An effort to discover what was really at the bottom of union antipathy was made by some of the contractors and they say that the members of the building trades fix the blame on the Associated Industries which has backed the American plan providing for the open shop. Although the contractors had agreed to the closed shop in the Portland plan they were accused of being in a league with the Associated Industries and, therefore, the enemies of organized labor, etc. Thus did a relationship of good will and understanding quickly yield to a state of war between the contractors and workers. The result is that, although there is no dispute about wages or working conditions, the two sides are as far part as if they did not agree on anything. It is an absurd situation and one that will not lend itself readily to adjustment, for conciliation is not dasily obtainable when one side refuses to agree to any understanding at all. The consequence is that such contractors as are operating at all are operating on the open shop plan, which is anathema to the unions. EFFECTS OF RAIL BLOCKADE The people have been astonished to discover the extent of the freight blockade. All who are engaged in business and who, therefore, have been in close touch with transpotation have known that shipments were being delayed for unusually long periods, but the nation, as a whole, is taken by surprise at the failure of the railroads to function in the face of a volume of business which, the officials tell us, is unprecedented. If the interstate commerce commission is unable to straighten out the tangle we may see some startling results. The nation never has been supplied scientifically. It always has lived from hand to mouth. It was estimated by some experts in 1912 that the country then had only a four months supply of goods on hand. Blessed with a rich country and inexhaustible resources we gave no consideration to the peril of shortages amounting to famines. Since 1912 we have had fuel and food shortages which have impressed upon us the existence of the peril. Shortage of transportation facilities amounts to the same as a shortage of goods. It makes no difference to a. community whether it is subjected to a famine because there is no food to be had or because there are no cars to transport the food. The effect is the same. Hence, if the transportation tie-u- p should continue, famine conditions would be produced although there might not be any actual scarcity, of supplies. Lack of transportation facilities tends to produce shortages intensify high prices. Already we have witnessed the effect upon production. Factories have been compelled to shut down because unable to ship their products. Thus the railway blockade has become the main factor in lessening production and one of the logical consequences should be an increase in prices. On the other hand, the whole industrial structure is threatened. Money lending to finance business is radically disturbed. The banks as well as the factories know not what to look forward to. The result is a general paralysis of business. A collapse of business throughout the country might easily be one of the consequences. In that event there would be a period of consumption without sufficient production. We would, so to speak; be feeding off our own bodies. Prices might fall owing to forced' sales and stocks held in reserve would come out into .the market. But when we had exhausted our stored stocks we would be in a more serious situation than ever, for, owing to the general shutdown, there would be an insufficient amount of production to meet the demand. It is idle to pursue the theory to its ultimate conclusions, for conditions seldom follow the straight and narrow path of theory. We are in the midst of a situation that will become worse rapidly or better slowly. THE BATTLE FOR OIL While inviting us to join the League of Nations and defend their territories our associates in the war are excluding American interests from all the oil regions they control. American interests are barred from' Australia, Barbados, British East Africa, British Guiana, Bur-maDutch East Indies, Egypt, France, Algeria, India, Japan. Mesopotamia, Palestine, Persia, Trinidad and the United Kingdom. Palestine and Mesopotamia are new possessions of Great Britain, whereas Persia is governed under British domination. During and after the war Great Britain, whose subjects had owned only 2 per cent of the worlds potential supply, began to gather in new sources of oil production and the British admiralty now estimates that British holdings amount to 56 per cent. The United States has 40 per cent of the potential oil supply and American interests hold 60 per cent of the producing fields in Mexico, thereby gaining the balance of power. Side by side with the struggle for commerce is the battle for fuel oil which has become the fuel of the newer warships. Determined to have the largest navy in the world, Great Britain is resolved to have as many as possible of the worlds oil fields'under her control. More than once it has been pointed out in Congress that Great Britains naval program can be aimed at only one power the United States, which is the only power that can contest her naval supremacy. Once in the League of Nations the United States, if Article X should remain in the covenant, would be handicapped commercially. Our men and treasures would be at the disposal of our allies to protect not only their territorial integrity but their commercial monopoh, lies. If, for example, Mesopotamia were free and independent, all nations would be welcomed to the oil fields and to other commercial privileges on an equal basis, but wherever Great Britain has seized territories containing oil and she shrewdly absorbed many such territories during the war and armistice she has enforced a closed door policy. If Russia should invade Mesopotamia the open door policy probably would be restored, but if the United States were in the |