The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-04-01
SEEKING SOLUTION
oF EHR 1ARoR DIFFIoULTIEs
That Arise In the OOuntry-COpErSsSm
O'NsIlrs Arbitration Bnl-vATiOuS opln.
ions Expressed AS Remedy for the
Conflicts Between Labor and Capital.

WASHINGTON, D. O., March sl.-Ip tn
House to-day Alr. o'Nsill, from the Com
mittee on Labor, reported fsvorablya a bill
to provide for the settlement Of Contru
vsrsIes between common carriers AM
their employees. The bill provides for thr
selection Of a board OF arbitration consist
ing OF three persons, wherever controVar
sizes impeding or obstruCting transporta
tions or property or passengeFs arise, TIT
employer and employs are each to seleC
one arbitrator, aud these two to select .
third, who is to be president Of the board
The arbitrators before attemptingto settle
any controversy arc to take oath that they
are not personally interested In the sub
ieCt matter in controversy, and are to pos
sesS all the powers and authority in re-
speCt 10 administering oaths, etc, beiung
Ing TO United States Commissioners. Any
conclusion or award OF q majority Of the
board Is TO be binding,
Mr.. O'Neill said that Tor the past two
months the Committee on Labor had been
engaged in draining every avenue where
there was reasonable hope ofseCuring in
formation as TO some feasible methods,
consistent with the Constitution and the
laws, that would provide mods OF settle
ment Of the disastrous disputes between
capital and labor. The Committee had
decided that the pending measure was the
best that 1t could formulate, 1t was a
simple voluntary arbitration. He simply
knew that the wOrkmen had stated they
were willing to arbltrats their grievances,
and he knew that the President OF the
Missouri Pacific had not yet consented to
doit. In the meantime the sober second
thought of the American Workmen had
kept the strike within bounds, and he was
convinced that they would prevent any
disastrous consequences until the terminus
tion Of this issue,
The Committee on Labor was unani-
mously Of tho opinion that this bill was
the best that could b0 passed now TO in.
woke the public opinion OF the couRtry
and compel in this case as IN all other
cases, TO appeal to reason and not to use
brute force to invade human rights,
OPINION oE THE FATHER or THE HOUSE.
Mr.. Kelly, Of Pennsylvania, said that
he would vote for the bill, but as that was
his purpose-he wanted to say in advance
to the workingmen OF the country that 1t
was trick on their Credulity and a fraud.
He asked the gentleman from Missouri
whether q workman who believed that
this bill was q measure TO provide for the
speedy settlement Of controversies and dii-
ferences would not be deCeived2 Could
there be any adjudication between Jay
Gould and the strikers on his road as long
as Jay Gould did not consent therefor
Mr., 0'Neill answered by stating that "in
Livingstone's works, which the gentle
man had evidently read, 1t said said that
in the interior regions Of Africa there
could bs found the most intensely critical
people on the earth In regard to mechRn.
ism, who could not put the simplest piece
Of machinery together. Why did not the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly,
as father OF the House, propose something
instead Of tearing DOWN."
Mr.. Kelly said that "he would vote for
any bill which would give relief to OPP
pressed labor, but he would not vote ior
this mass Of words unless his vote was ac-
companied by notice that the bill meant
nothing"
WOULD DO NEITHER GOOD NOR HARM.
Mr.. Foran Of Ohio, was no more opposed
to the pending bill than he was to drink.
ing a glass Of water, both were harmless.
The bill could injure no one, but Il
could accomplish no good. There was nc
more arbitration in this bill that there
was flesh on q skeleton. Referring Ia
the Missouri Pacific strike he said:that the
workmen had asked for arbitration and
Jay Gould had refused. 1.-THE arbitration
were accepted 1t would be because
Mr.. Gould had become satisfied
that 1t was. for his interest
10 end the controversy and not because
he loved the principle Of arbitration. Sup.
pose he did not desire to arbitrate, then
the bill went for nothing. There wat
nothing to 1t. The labor problem could
not be settled by arbitration or by legisla
tion. II was deeper and went beyond leg
islation. The idea that Congress could Ia
one day solve aquestion that had been bb.
| fore tho world lor many years was non.
sense. 1t could not be done. The diff
Guilty was In the unjust distribution oI
wealth. II by law wealth could be
distributed something could be done
but nothing could DO done BY
passing an arbitration law. Just al
the men of wealth and property were
made to understand, whether by educa.
ton or something more serious that theil
interest demanded that their employee
should be as happy and contented al
themselves and that their property and
lives were In jeopardy when living in q
community where everybody was d'ssatiB
fed, when they learned that fact then the
problem would be solved and not before
wEAYRR's rANAcEA.
Mr.. Weaver, Of Iowa, said that the
remedy for labor troubles must come from
q proper Law TO regulate interstate com.
merce and from q law which would create
0 condition In our economic system &C
that the employer could afford 10 pay the
laboring man what bis labor was worth
There was no disposition on the part o.
the workingmep to violate law. They
preferred TO earn their Lying In the Bweal
oi their faces. The trouble was that they
IGOVlu nOb Beb bnb opportunity 10 WOrk
This remedy was 10 give the country al
increased volume Of currency. Thil
labor question was purely and simply 4
question Of money.
Mr.. Reed, Of Maine, said that what the
laboring men needed and desired wal
that there should be that careful examine
ton Of the whole matter which would
lead TO an agreement 1t may turn out
be said, that this legislation will amount
TO little, II may turn out that II will
amount 10 much. Suppose we try II, and
when we learn more do more,
aLoyER's SUBSTITUTE,
MI Glover, Of Missouri, gave notice
that he would at the proper time offer Al
d substitute for the pending bill the bill
introduced by him on Monday, which Il
based on the English law and which pro.
yldes ior compulsory arbitration. The
situation on the Southern system OF rail.
ways, be said, was one which demanded
the greatest attention from legislators, II
the midst pi peace the country was on The
verge Of civil war, and this was be1auge