The Alaska citizen., 1913-09-15
WILSON'S GREAT WORK.

When President Wilson took the
presidents of Eastern railroads and
the trainmen's ORGANIZATIONS into his
confidence and conference in order
70 avert the threatened railroad
strike of 100000 employees. he took
the first step n work of con
-fructive craftsmanship When. as
result OF that conference. the
Newlands amendment to the Erd-
man arbitration law was passed. an
other tribute was forged in the
mass of favorine sentiment of the
Presidents action, Out of the peace
negotiations looms the cardinal point
that the President is fully alive
+ u his great responsibilities and
thoroughly eognizaut of the vast in
jury to the public that a strike of
such proportions would cause.
There is a homely. satisfying and
American flavor in this work of the
President that appeals to common
sense. More often than not a heart
+ [ heart talk with and to conflicting
interests brings satisfactory results.
\ tempering policy of mediation and
arbitration. leavened with prompt
ngs TO the better nature of men.
cannot hurt and invariably serves
some useful purposes, even if it
does MT adjust acute differences
al once. And when this policy is
practiced by the President of the
United States. whose only aim is ad-
mitted to be the avoidance Of a
disastrous industrial conflict, it is
pleasant achievement.
A middle ground is always with
in reach in such controversies. The
+ desideratum is to find the right way
10 do it, to so judge opposing tenn
peraments that they will be drawn
+ together instead of driving them
further apart and to so estimate
the sentiments of the divided inter
ests that they can be placed side by
! side and as far as possible accur-
ately balanced This is what the
President is doing with the conten-
tious railroad interests. and in do
/ ing it he has the overwhelming
sympathy of the country with him
The enlargement of the commits
sion to six members from the three
provided by the Erdman law is a
step in the right direction. Where
vital issues are at stake a COM
mIttee of three can hardly be ex
/ pected to grasp the full significance
OF all OF the multitude CT important
! points likely to be brought forward
A larger commission can delve in
/ 70 the accumulated testimony with
more certainty and give better con-
sideratiOn to its varying phases and
features. The Newlands bill meets
this essential requirement. 1t has
far greater value, however in the
!
to the railroads and their employees.
something OF tremendous importance
in itself.
The towering fact is that in Pres
dent Wilson the country has an eX-
ecutive who has the gift of being
able to reach and concliate men
whose passions are aroused because
of real or fancied grievance and
to bring them to a common under
President is also looking to the
comfort and safety of the travelling
public, which, after all, is the chief
party in interest. This, notwithstand-
ing the President has shown a Won
derful aptitude for the management
of men and a conspicuous talent for
doing the right thing at the right
| time.
Whether the President will be able
to effect a settlement of the diff
ferences of the warning railroad
| factions has not been determined
yet. What he has done. however,
is to make labor strikes of imposing
magnitude all but impossible in
the future. This is a great deal.
surely. The new board of arbitration
is largely vested with the functions
lof a court of equity, its purpose