Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-07-14
Pres. Wilson and Ad-
visers at Meeting
with Road and
Union Heads.
BOTH SIDES REALIZE THAT
TIE.UP SPELLS DISASTER
Trainmen's Leaders Are Au-
thorized to Call Walk-Out of
100000 in Case White House
Conference Fails.

WASHINGTON, July 14.-Whether
a strike of trainmen and conductors
of the eastern railroads may be
avoided was the subject of confer
ence at the White House today be-
tween President Wilson and repre-
sentatives of the employees and the
railroads concerned. President Will
son, Secretary Wilson, Chairman
Newlands, of the Senate interstate
commerce committee; Chairman
Clayton, of the House judiciary COM
mittee, and Republican Leader Mann
represented the government; Presi-
dent Samuel Rea, of the Pennsylva-
MIA; Daniel Willard, of the Baltimore
and Ohio; George w. Stevens, of the
Chesapeake and Ohio; w. c. Brown
of the New York Central lines, and
Frank Trumbull, chairman of the
board of the Chesapeake and Ohio,
represented the railroads.
President A. B. Garretson. of the
Order of Railway Conductors, and
Railway Trainmen, represented the
employees.
Senator Newlands declared today
that the emergency should bring the
House to immediate action on the
Senate bill. He had hopes that the
White House conference would lead
60 some definite conclusion.
''The bill which passed the Senate.
said Senator Newlands, "is unques-
tionably favorable to the public in
terests. The arbitration as proposed
eventually would develop into an in
dustrial court, and for that reason it
should not be attached to the depart
ment of labor any more than the In
terstate Commerce Commission
should be attached to the department
of commerce"
Clayton Bill Is Stumbling Block.
Todey's conference between the
railroad men and the President con-
Germs chiefly two bills pending In
Congress for amendment of the Erd-
man act providing means for arbitra-
ton of wage disputes. 1t is under
stood that both the brotherhoods and
the railroads are satisfied with the
Newlands bill already passed by the
Senate, but that the Clayton bill,
introduced in the House, largely at
the instance of Secretary Wilson. is
not so satisfactory. The latter pro-
poses that the secretary of labor
should be included as one of the Of
fetal mediators. There has been con-
siderable objection to that feature.
Chairman Clayton, of the House
judiciary committee who was one of
the participants in the White House
conference, declared there was no
disposition to press his bill against
the Newlands bill If it was apparent
that both the railroads and their en-
ployees favored the Newlands meas
ure.
"All we want" said he, lis to get
the best legislation possible to meet
the views of both Sides The House
judiciary committee will determine
its position at a meeting tomorrow in
the light of this afternoons confer
ence. There should then be quick ac-
ton by Congress.
NewIands Bill Would Obviate Strike.
Acceptance by the House of the
Senate, which also has been approved
by the Civic Federation. would un-
doubtedly remove the possibility of a
strike.
President Wilson on his arrival
from Cornish, N. H., had before him
pile of documents on the situation
Which he said he would examine
before the conference. While the
President has taken no stand in the
matter, he let it be known that he
did not regard as a serious obstacle
the composition of the board of me-
diation though he felt that it was
a most important question. With the
exception of the threatened strike,
the President had little pressing
business before him and prepared to
devote practically the entire day to
the situation.