Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 February 1918 — CHARGES HURLED AT ROADS BY BROTHERHOOD OFFICIALS [ARTICLE]

CHARGES HURLED AT ROADS BY BROTHERHOOD OFFICIALS

Washington, Feb.r > s—Railroad5 —Railroad owners are trying to hamper and discredit government ownership in the hope of forestalling retention of the lines under government management after the war, railroad brotherhood heads charged today, in their hearing before the federal trades commission. Experienced railroad men are not permitted to operate as their taining dictates. Freight crews have been held on sidetracks 16 hours to show increased overtime costs. More overtime has been piled up than ever before. Employes have been encouraged to countenance delays which would have previously meant immediate dismissal

Railroad owners are doing this because they realize the people will never permit the roads to return to private ownership unless government management fails. President Lee of the trainmen and President Garretson of the conductors hurled these charges against their former employes today, when it was discovered unknown to the brotherhood representatives the railroads had posted their own men in the room in which the hearing was in progress. Garretson refused to continue testimony until the railroad “pickets” were removed from the room. “We have come to lay our cards oh the table,” he said, “and railroads block government ownership. Wedo not propose to discuss these matters before our former employes.” Lee then broke in with the charge that railroad owners do not want government ownership to succeed anyway.