Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-08-29
QUALITY AND SERVICE

suits merely estimated and predicted
would be to undertake an enterprise of
conjecture. No wise man would under
take it, or, if he did undertake it, could
feel assured of his conclusions.
Justice Promised Roads.
81 unhesitatingly offered the friend
ly services of the administration to the
railway managers to see to it that JUS
tice was done the railroads in the out
come.
felt warranted in assuring them
that no obstacle of law would be suf-
fered to stand in the way of their in
creasing their revenues to meet the ex-
penses resulting from the change so far
as the development of their business
and of their administrative efficiency
did not prove adequate to meet them.
The public and the representatives Of
the public, I feel justified in assuring
them, were disposed to nothing but JUS
tice in such cases and were willing to
serve those who served them.
Railroads Refused.
"The representatives of the brother
hoods accepted the plan; but the rep
resentatives of the railroads declined to
accept it. In the face Of what / can
not but regard as the practical GER
tainty that they will be ultimately
obliged to accept the eight hour day
by the concerted action of organized
labor, backed by the favorable judg-
ment of society, the representatives of
the railway management have felt justi-
fled in declaring peaceful settle.
ment which would engage all the forces
of justice, public and private, on their
side, to take care of the event They
feel the hostile influence of shippers.
who would be opposed to an increase Of
freight rates (for which, however, of
course the public itself would pay);
they apparently feel no confidence that
the interstate commerce commission
could withstand the objections that
would be made. They don I 'care to re-
ly upon the friendly assurances of the
congress or the president They have
thought it best that they should be
forced to yield if they must yield not
by counsel, but by the suffering of the
country. While my conferences with
them were in progress, and when to all
outward appearances those conferences
had come to standstill the represen-
tatives OF the brotherhoods suddenly
acted and set the strike for Septem.
ber l.
Reason for Rejection.
1.-THE railway managers based their
decision to reject my counsel in this
matter upon their conviction that they
must al any cost to themselves or to
the country stand firm for the prin.
ciple of arbitration which the men had
rejected. l based my counsel upon the
indisputable fact that there was no
means of obtaining arbitration. The law
supplied none; earnest efforts at me-
diation had failed to influence the men
in the least. To stand firm for the
principle of arbitration and vet not get
arbitration to me seems futile and
something more than futile, because it
involved incalculable distress to the
country and consequences in some re-
spects worse than those of war and that
in the midst OF peace.
1ndorses Arbitration.
81 yield to no man in firm adher.
ence alike of conviction and of purpose
to the principle of arbitration in indus.
trial disputes, but matters have come
TO sudden crisis in this particular
dispute and the country has been caught
unprovided with any practicable means
of enforcing that conviction in practice,
(by whose fault we will not stop to in
quire." A situation had to be met
whose elements and fixed conditions
were indisputable, The practical and pa.
triotic course to pursue, as it seemed to
me, was to secure immediate peace by
eoneeding the one thing in the demands
81 the men which society itself and any
arbitrators who represented public sen