The De Soto County news. [volume] (Arcadia, Fla.) 1898-1924, 1916-08-24

PRESIDENT WILSON IN.
SISTS ON BEING COR
RECT.

| American cltlLen 10 anOInef,
President Wilson yesterday ap.
pcalcd To each of the executives
of the country's principal rail
roads on grounds of patriotism
To accept his plan for ayerting
! the threatened disaster of a ma.
ton wide strike. He emphasized
the necessity for keeping the rail
roads i'm service as a part of the
national defense, and to make
possible preparation for meeting
conditions that will exist after
the European war.
On leaving the white house the
railroad presidents, augmented
during the day by arrivals from
the west, held conference at
which sentiment was said to be
against agreeing to the presi.
, dents proposal i'm its present
form. Hope was expressed, how.
ever. that some satisfactory cOun.
ter proposition might be advanc.
ed, and il was decided to turn
over tO a committee the task Of
drafting final reply TO the pres
ident. With more than sixty men
and most of them with their own
! ideas about what ought to be
done, the executives found il diff.
iiCult to get down to brass
tacks.' as one of them expressed
II. Tomorrow morning another
meeting will be held, and every
effort will he made to reach de.
ciSion promptly.
The railroad heads still insist
that President Wilson is asking
them to sacrifice the principle NJ
arbitration Elisha Lee. chair
man of the national conference
committee of the railways. issued
statement in which he said:
"That the railroads should
grant, under a threat of nation.
al strike, sj0,0O0,O0O wage pre-
fcrment TO a small minority Of
their employees, without a hearing
before a public tribunal, is incon.
ccivahlc i'm a democracy like ours.
All questions at issue-wages,
costs, operating conditions-are
submerged by the greater issue:
shall arbitration he abandoned
in the settlement of industrial
dispute"
The statement suggests, howev-
or. that railroads stand 10 take
whatever action the people of the
country desire.
While the officials were listen.
inc to President Wilson and lat
or comforting at their hotel, the
general committee of Gao repre-.
scntativrs Of the employees who
already have accepted the presi.
dents plan. held a pcrfunctory
meeting and marked time await.
inc the decision Of the employ.
ers. They said they would wait
until President Wilson dismissed
them, hut stood ready to call a
strike should the negotiations
fail.
Although few of the railroad
executives had not arrived YES.
tcrday afternoon. il was decided
that those already in Washing.
ton were representative, and
therefore the president called
them to the white house and ear
ncstlv urged his plan Of settle.
mcnt he ratified.
~ will not allow passion TO
come into my thoughts i'm the sol.
cmn matter" he said. 1--WE are
both acting as trustees of great
interests. 7 am willing to allow
This matter to 90 to the great
American jury and let them as.
sumo the responsibility. The re-
sponsihility of failure will not
rest with me.
81 wish You TO consider the
consequences as affecting the pc o.
plc Of the cities and country
sides Of n failure TO agree. The
country can not live if the means
Of keeping alive its vitality are
interfered with. The lives and
fortunes Of 1OO,OOO.OO men, wo.
men and little ones-many Of
whom NAV die-depend upon
what may he done in this room.
7 appeal TO Won as one American
citizen to another to avert this
disaster ="
CnTTRTS To TpN Sol nTED