The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1916-09-18
RIPLEY AND THE STRIKE

T. p. Ripley is not satisfied with
the verdict of congress lie did not
want the strike settled by law or BY
compromise. he was willing to test
the power Of his road against the
power Of the brotherhoods which
threatened the strike Mr. Ripley is
at the head of a road with eleven
thousand miles Of main trackage. the
gross annual revenues are not far
reach near the mark of forty million
lars. and the net annual revenues
reach near the mark of forty million
dollars He has made wonderful
success of the Santa Fe road, he has
treated his men fairly, he has estab-
lished a pension system among his
employees which he depended upon
largely to fortify his road against the
strike evil. He hoped to make it
worth so much to those who did not
leave the employ of the company that
they would stay at their post when
emergencies arose. He believed that
SUI iCient number of his men would
remain loyal to permit the operation
of his trains, although a strike was
called He was unwilling and is still
unwilling to accept the eight-hour
law and has repeatedly stated that he
will obey the law only when it has
been approved as constitutional by
the highest tribunal of the United
States.
President Ripley seems to have
considered only his road and the in
terests of his company as he saw
them. He seems to have forgotten
the hundred million people who would
have been disturbed by a strike That
emergency was not merely before the
railway companies and the brother
hoods,-it was before the entire citi-
zenship of the nation. Merchants
would have suffered losses, homes
would have suffered inconvenience
and annoyance. There would have
| been rioung, there would have been
| bloodshed, and for all we know there
might have been civil war. When
almost the entire civilized world is
at war we can scarcely afford to trust
ourselves. We have been reading and
| thinking war for more than two years
( and railway strike involving four hun
drcd thousand laborers and their de
pendents might have been the match
| that would have started a conHagra-
| ton in this country. The world will
never know lust what service Wood
row Wilson did the nation when he
| laid his strong hand upon the strike
! situation and commanded it to stand
stnl The nation as a whole approves
what Mr.. Wilson has done. It was the
stroke of master mind and every
citizen of the nation protited by the
STAYING Of the hand of the threatened
strikers. The individual states Of the
union so far as We have seen, have
offered to permit the railway com
pauics TO make themselves whole on
the extra wages by slight raising OF
the freight charges II was then no
. longer question Of money or a Qucs-
. ton of expense with the railway
companies u resolved itself into a
fight for q principle, with the rail
way companies fighting the principle
OF the cisht-hour day and the broth
crhocds fighting for il. Il seems that
Nr Ripley should be willing TO yield
u looks like the part of wisdom.
1t might seem that the president
can make 9s much progress in the
industrial world es De has in the
world of finance. Bankers say under
tho federal laws as enacted 10y the
present administration that financial
pauics are am impossioi'.ty May il
Dc said when the next congress has
adjourned chat great railway strike.
are am .mprsSiNiuy