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THE COMMERCIAL ( Marshall & Balrd, Union City, Tenn. FRIDAY OCTOBER 10. H19. Entered at the peat office at Dniom City. Tea aeaaee, a second-das mail aiatter. Democratic Ticket. For Sheriff Watt Cherry. For Trustee Armour Ratliff. For Tax Assessor Will Robey. RUSSIAfilZIHG THE RAILROADS (Continued from first page.) back in spite of the entreaties cf the President. Failure of Socialistic Enterprise. Again we are assured that great economies in operation, which would accrue to the public benefit, would be effected bf this plan. To sustain this bold assertion there ts no proof whatever; in fact, the whole record cf socialistic enterpriso and of Gov ernment direction of industry is that expense and inefficiency both increase in marked degree. Nowhere has this been more pointedly illustrated than in the record of our, railroads themselves under Government di rection. The whole record of public ownership in this country and throughout the world' has proved clearly that it does not promote either econcmy or efficiency, ?na, further, that it carries with it political dang ers cf serious importance, which have bred far-reaching troubles. That the disastrous experiences of othter countries in this field would be re peated in our own somewhat loose-J Jointed democracy is absolutely cer tain. Such a venture on our prrt Into the field af radical socialism could bring oily industrial and financial disaster, which would sot this coun try back many years, and if, on a basis of their success in securing con trol of transportation, the Socialists should proceed further in thleir pro gram of nationalizing industry, busi ness chaos would be assured and an other Russian cataclysm 70uld im pend. lethargy of the Public. The amazing fact is that, in spite of the obviousness of this situation and its menace, human ignorance ana lethargy lend an ear to its alluring Utopian promises. With thle tragic collapse of Russia looming before us, with the total failure of the com munistic ccheme in Hungary and the admission by the new President of its provisional Government, himself a 'labor' leader and minister of social welfare,, and that henceforth his par ty would stand "for full democracy, with rights Of private property and full political liberty," it seems im possible that any sane man would give credence to the plea of socialism. Yet we are informed that 2,000,000 railroad workers and all other mil lions in the ranks of the American Federation of Labor, perhaps 6,000, 000 in all, support this unsound plan, which would certainly work the un doing of labor as completely as that of capital and ruin the business of the country, in which the prosperity of all is involved. Organized Opposition Needed. Tho alternative presented to the public, unless the demands of the bro therhoods are approved, is, in the words of the acting president of the railway department of the American Federation of Labor, that the brother hoods will , "tie tho railroads up so tight that they will never run again." The deflnilo threat is made to "paral yze the nation," unless labor can work its will.. We are further as sured by Mr. Plumb, the spokesman of the brotherhoods, that . this "is going to be a fight to the finish," and, further, that "we will not stand for any modification of the principles and proposals set forth in our plan." Before such high-handed declarations there would seem to be but one posi tion for men. with courage and an in telligent regard for their own inter ests to take, namely: that of definite, organized opposition, and determina tion to Join isues on this question In the court of public sentiment. I am Just as certain on my part as the brotherhood leaders are on theirs that 'if public sentiment could ever really be informed on this question thiere would be no doubt as to its de cision and its protection of its own interests against any class appeal for socialistic experiments. Class Rule and Class Profiteering. Stripped of all its fine phrases and socialistic rhetoric, the Plumb Plan is simply a schemo for class rule and class profiteering. It provides for government of transportation of the railroad brotherhoods, by the brother hoods, and f for 'the brotherhoods. There is no modest restraint of profit sharing in the plan, because it i ciii- ployces on a practically perpetual lease under a Bcheme of control in which they fix the return to them selves through their power over wa ges, to the complete exclusion of ttle public interest, and under lease thev accept no this risk of 1 the business whatever. That is borne entirely by the Government, or, stated more fairly, by the public. There . is no provi sion for securing a fair rental for the property, no effective control of rates by public authority, and the control over wages lies in the hands of & board that the employees would directly control by a two-thirds ma jority, and completely control by reason of political influence. What the consequence may be of this class control over transportation is forshadowed by the already liber al increases which labor has secured through the Government control of railroads, and the large additional advances labor is now seeking. Since 1915 railroad labor has aver aged a wage increase of more than 85 per cent.; more than $1,000,000, 000 has been added to the wage roll under Government direction, and de mands now lie before the Govern ment authorities for increases ag gregating $800,000,000 more. From the broad standpoint of pub lic interest it seems so obvious as to be beyond argument that the control of this great service of transporta tion should remain in the hands of the public, and not be delegated to any selfish class. That mistakes have been made under previous sys tems of control, or lack of control, constitutes no proper argument for attempting this radical departure from the assured bounds of exper ience. - No Wall Street Bogey Involved. We can brush aside the cheap buncombe about "watered stock" and "Wall Street conspiracies." for whatever financial mistakes may have been made or could be made under existing conditions, nothing that capital ever contemplated in its own. interest has been half so far-reaching as this proposal of la bor. Of course any student of rail road economics knows that railroad stocks, takenras a whole, are not wa tered and actual railroad values are hundreds of millions of dollars above their capitalization and, further more that railroad rates and operat ing expenses bear no relations what ever to capitalization and have been left entirely out of consideration by the Interstate Commerce Commission. Furthermore, any unprejudiced stu dent of the situation knows well that the attempt to stir up political sup port by Invoking a Wall Street bogey In the present situation is entirely un warranted; first because there is no such bogey, and second, because it would not be allowed to-Aroction if it did exist. This is a pure case of "dust in the eyes," which ought not to deceive the most casual reader. This whole question of involving Government credit in such a finan cial experiment also takes on a new phase, in view of the great public In terest in Government finance through the bond holdings of twenty million buyers of Liberty Loan issues, who, aside from their interest as citizens in efficient transportation, have a large stake in the situation, as it is absolutely sure that more large Government Issues will bring de creased values to those already out standing, and would involve hazard ous experiments in the Government finance in which; Government credi tors must suffer. Only Way Solution Can Be worked Out. . The railroad situation to-day pre sents many real problems, but these problems cannot be solved propeny in the interests of any class or unuer threat or force. Only patient ana fair-minded study, from tne view point solely of the general interest, can bring a proper solution. The securing of that solution is Just as vital to the railroad brotherhoods and to labor generally as to , any other interest involved, for after all they are all citizens of the United States : and only as the United States prospers as a whole can they long prosper. Continued prosperity can be based only upon sound eco nomic and political principles, and any venture into other fields must bring disaster to all concerned. ' Our Duty. The struggle is, on between de mocracy and socialism. In spite of its shortcomings, we have developed in this country a system under which its people have enjoyed the greatest prosperity of any . people In the world's history. To-day all the world turns to us for help, and if we Jeopardize not only our own powers of service but also our own national future by departing so radically from the system which has made us great we will be recreant to both our duty and our opportunity. . Individ turns these properties over to the ual freedom and the incentive to suc cess, which have built this country, cannot be forsaken without pulling down over our own heads the struc ture we have so proudly reared. It seems unthinkable that such a possi bility could even be discussed, and yet here it faces us, not only a possi bility, but a probability, unless the intelligence of the country Is aroused to meet it. On this question of Government ownership of railroads we stand to day In the first line trenches for the protection of the private ownership of all property. It this position is lost the whole line will be seriously threatened. Men who -believe in American institutions, in property rights, in orderly Government, must line up In opposition to this at tack, or live to regret the day of their unpreparedness. Guaranty Trust Company of New York. Prussianism's Fall. "We stood alone in the world." So writes Ludendorff of the beaten Germans In November, 1918, a lit tle more than four years after they had set forth to subjugate the world. No more striking picture of Ger many's collapse has been made than that by Ludendorff in yesterday's Courier-Journal. The empire disintegrated, the in vincible armies capitulated, the Kaiser and War Lord a deposed fug itive, the Princes of the States abdi cated, the mighty military machine smashed and its head, Ludendorff, himself, kicked out, what was left of Germany, deserted by her allies, friendless, despised throughout the earth she had meant to conquer, in deed "stood alone." "The troops," so their former chief says, "lost all discipline and or der, and streamed home in wild con fusion, plundering as they went." "The bulk of the troops in depots went over to the side of the revolu tionaries." "Men who had foughi magnificently against the enemy lost their nerve and abandoned the army and the country, thinking of nothing but themselves. Officers even were among them, forgetting the duties of their class." Out of this world Btruggle. she comes weakened and diminished in every respect, and robbed of districts and peoples which have been hers for generations. . She loses her colonies. Her right to defend herself is taken away. The German has lost the right to serve his country in the army. Germany's merchant fleet disap pears from the high seas. Her in dustrial strength is broken, and the fragments that remain are placed un der enemy supervision. The indemnities we have to pay are beyond our power. The debt which the revolution has laid on itself does not end merely with this terrible peace. It makes the heavy yoke, under which It has sent the German people into bondage, into an absolutely crushing one. In Germany there is civil war. German property is being destroyed. The public moneys are wasted and put to selfisbJ uses; the finances of the empire, the States and the towns become rottener day by day. The fallen morale of the population rush es unrestrained into the "freedom" of the revolution; the lowest instincts of mankind develop unrestrained and regardless of consequences. Everywhere are disorders, strik ings, deceit and over-reaching, ac companied often by tho most disgust ing frenzies of luxury, and this at the graveside of the millions who have died for the country, and in the sight of the many cripples on whom our eyes rest. Germany offers a hideous and con temptible spectacle, filling every true German heart with indescribable grief, but awakening among our enemies and neutrals nothing but contempt. . '" By the revolution the Germans have made themselves outcasts among the peoples, incapable of making al lies, helots In the service of foreign ers and foreign capital, and deprived of all self-respect. So moaned this Imperialist of Im perialists, this first of militarists and typical Junker. That he is typically German is attested by the fact that tho only consolation which he could find in the situation was in the. dis honor of his countrymen who sank the German warships. "The future is dark before us," he wrote, "the only bright spot being the acts of the men at Scapa Flow." Ludendorff throughout his book has revealed himself as the most fatuous exponent of Prussianism. His contempt for the civil Govern ment of his country was unconcealed, becoming bitterest when the Govern ment decided to accept the terms of the armistice rather than allow him to continue the war, though he ad mits it was lost, to the complete an nihilation of the German people.- Louisville Courier-Journal. RYE OAT Grass and Field Seeds of all Kinds Also Corn, Oats, Chops. Shorts, Hay and Bran Everything for the Feeder Try .our Tennessee Hog Feed. Best and cheapest hog feed on earth. We manufacture a complete line of mixed feeds for horses, mules and cattle, all scien tifically balanced and guaranteed to give satisfaction. HOWELL GRAIN & UNION CITY, TENN. W. D. WILLIAMS, Manager, RETAIL DEPARTMENT EAST MAIN SI BOTH PHONES: Cumb. No. 20; Home No. 68 TO BUGGY OWNERS: I wish to announce that I have a new machine for mounting buggy wheels with rubber tires; also am prepared to do all kinds of buggy paint ing. All work promptly and carefully done. I buy second-hand buggies. R. A. PARDUE Phone 43 LOOK! READ! Groceries Meats SOMETHING TO EAT For Everybody. Where? Down at our house. We buy all we can and sell all we can; buy as cheap as we can and sell as cheap as we can. When you get hungry, see us or call us and we deliver the goods. We try to have everything you want. Best in all lines. Everything in Vegetables, Fruits and Melons the market affords. Every thing in Canned Goods, from the cheapest to the best. Our Meat Market is second to none Beef, Pork, Lamb and Veal; Sausage, Weiners, Ham, Boiled Ham and Mince Ham. . Come" to see us. We will trade with you if you have anything to eat E. IP. GKSSSOIVI HOGS VACCINATED RAYMOND E. WOOD PERMIT NO. 2073 Will Vaccinate Your Hogs at Reasonable Price CLOYS . ft.CCurvs, Umon Crrx It ha. USED EXCLUSIVELY Telephones, - - - Home 232-3; Cumb. 510-W Corner Main & Third St. SERUfl EED EED FEEDpliffANY little' Choice. "How's politics in the Plunkvillo region?" "Aw, so BO." "Good men to vote for?" "Naw," said the pessimistic - citi zen, "it's always the lesser of two evils with us." THE NAILLING HOSPITAL SEVENTH YEAR A Modern Surgical Institution. Competent Trained Nurse DR. W. A. NAILLING Chief Surgeon Union City, Tenn. Both Phone 41. J. C. BURDICK Wholesale and Retail , Reelfoot Lake and Mississippi Kiver Fish Game Oysters in Season. New location, East Main Street Phone 185 . ; UNION CITY, TENN DR. I. GLOSSON VETERINARIAN Phone 12. Main and Third Sta. L ; UNION CITY, TENN. Jake H. Park. D.D.S. C. E. Upchurch, D D.S. Both Phonbs 136. Drs. Park & Upchurch DENTISTS -- Mrs. Jake H. Park, Attendant Office: Rooms 1, 2 and 3, NaillingBldg. ' Over Oliver's Red Cross Drug Store. Dr. E. W. Y0UNGBL00D, D.V.M. DEPUTY STATE VETERINARIAN Union City, . Tenn. Hogs Vaccinated; Serum Sold. Telephones: Cumb. 312, Home 216. Army Surgeon During World War.