The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-20
Asks Interstate Commission
to Investigate Railroads
and Secure Data.
PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE
INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES.
Whether Proposed Reductions OF
Wages Due to Natural Loss of
Business, Hostile Legislation
or Misconduct in Manage
ment the Public Must
Be Informed.
Asu1NGroN. February 10

w = AsHINGToN, February 10
NY Serious Industrial dispute
wv in prospect were in I'll
mind of President Rooseve
when he wrote letter to the Inter
state Commerce Commission yestei
day, which was made public to-da.
He says that information has reache
him. that, on account OF the enact
ment of drastic laws by the Congress
and by various State Legislatures,
10 regarded as necessary by railroa
companies to reduce the pay OF the
employees. He points out that. unde
the law. either party may demand IN
services of the chairman OF the Inter
state Commerce Commission and of tn
Commissioner OF Labor as board
conciliation. He suggests, therefor
that the Interstate Commerce Com
mission make such an investigatio
as Will enable II to furnish data cor
cerninc wage conditions on variou
railroads as may relate. directly Q
INDIRECTLY. to the possibly impendin
controversy.
The Presidents Letter.
The full text of the Presidents ie'
ser is as follows:
The White HOUSE,
washington, Feb. is, 1918.
To the Interstate Commerce SoHl-
mission:
am informed that a nuHper VI
railroad companies have served No
tice of proposed reouct!oh "
wages on their employees. one Oh
them. the Louisville and Nashsi.ie.
in announcing the reduction. states
tr lsltu
tho interests of thJ railroads, hat
bav. in the past year or two been
enacted by Congress and the state
1egislators'' are largely or chiefly
responsible for the conditions re-
ouirlng the reduction.
Under such circumstances II Is
possible that the public may soon
be confronted by serious Industrial
dtsputes. and the law provides that
in such cases either party may de-
mand the services of your chair
man and OF the Commissioners OF
Labor as board of mediation and
corciliation. These reductions In
wages may be warranted. or they
NAV not. AS to this, the public,
which is a vitally interested party,
can form no Judgment without
more complete knowledge of the
essential facts and real merits OF
the case than 1t now has or than
it can possibly obtain from the spe-
cial pleadings certain to be put
forth by each side in case their
dispute should bring about serious
interruption to traffic.
II the reduction in wages is due
to natural causes, the loss of busi-
ness being such that the burden
shoaId be, and is equitably dis
tributed between. capitalist and
wage-worker, the public should
know 1t. If 1t is caused by legis-
lation. the public, and Congress
should know IT, and If 1t is caused
by misconduct in the past finan-
cial or other operations of any
railroad. then everybody should
know it, especially If the excuse or
unfriendly legislation is advanced
as method of covering up past
business misconduct by the rail-
ton for failure to treat fairly the
wage-earnins employees OF the
company.
Must Preserve the Peace.
Moreover. an industrial conflict
between a railroad corporation ana
it's employees offers peculiar oppor-
tunities to any small number of
evil-disposed persons to destroy
life and property and foment pub
lie disorder. OF course, If life,
property and public order are en-
dangered, prompt and drastic
measures for their protection be-
come the first plain duty. All
other issues then become subordi-
nate to the preservation OF the
public peace, and the real merits of
the original controversy are neces-
sarily lost from view. This vital
consideration should be ever kept
in mind by all law-abidins and far
siehted members OF labor organi-
cations.
1t is sincerely hoped, therefore.
that any Swage controversy that
may arise between the railroads
and their employees may find a
peaceful solution through the
methods of Cancellation and arbi-
tratlon already provided by Con-
rress. which have proven so ef-
fective during the past year. To
this end the commission should be
in a position to have available for
any board of conciliation or arbl-
trntion relevant data pertaining to
such carriers as may become IN
volved in industrial disputes.
Should conciliation fall to effect
settlement. and arbitration be re-
jected, accurate information should
be available in order to develop a
properly informed public opinion.
I therefore ask you to make such
Investigation. both OF your records
and by any other means at your
command, as will enable you to
furnish data concerning such con-
dltions obtaining on the Louisville
and Nashville and any other roads
as may relate, directly or indirectly,
to the real merits OF the possibly
Impending controversy.
nEIEODnRE nRQQSEVElIT.