The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-10-05
TAFT SAYS
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bsba SsuuS
Continued from page 81
President and Congress Of the princip.
OF arbitration to a psremptory dc
mand for a compliance with their wis.
hes, without an investigation or a
hearing Of most important issue.
These men were not In distress such
as to prevent their awaiting the de.
lay Of arbitration. Whether they were
entitled to an encrease or not, they
are the best paid wage-earners in the
world. receiving more on the average
than many ministers. teachers and
other professional men. The railway
managers agreed that II the matter
could be submitted to arbitration. the
decision might relate back to Septem.
Der LIST last, and that, they would
agree to keep the accounts OF their
employees so that II the men won,
they would receive .aesr increases
from that date. What the men dc.
manded. and what they have in the
Adamson bill. is not limitation OF
their labor to eight hours day. and
there is little reason to believe that
the men desire to reduce their actual
hours Of employment. In other words
their demand was for an increase of
wages. and the Adamson bill is a com.
pliance with that demand under the
threat Of strike. When Wilson
requested Congress to pass the Adam.
son bill. he also requested them to
adopt the Canadian law. declaring
such a strike unlawful II entered up.
on before a submission Of the issue
to arbitration. The theory Of that
law Is that after arbitration. when the
public have learned the merits. the
strike may proceed. and public opinion
may be counted to defeat a disregard
of the judgment. This doubtless
would have prevented recurrence of
such cowardly exhibition OF submits.
sion to peremptory demand by the
government OF the United States:
but the labor leaders contemptuously
rejected the suggestion of the Presi.
dent, and their rjection was so quick.
ly acquiesced in that It Is difficult to
believe that the suggestion was any
thing more than mere formality.
The legality Of strikes rests on the
proposition that their economic incon.
venience to the employer gives en-
ployees a legitimate weapon In the in
evltable controversy over the division
Of the joint product Of labor and CAM
tai. 1n'ordinary strikes tho injury to
the public at large is incidental and
negligible. When. however, the strike
threatens to reach such proportions
as the one in question the probability
of its enormous injury to the public
dwarfs other considerations and just.
iiies legislation to limit and restrain
concert Of action having such effect,
Such is the Canada law OF arbitration.
II there ever was a time when legis
lation OF that kind ought to have been
passed. It was when 1t could have been
exactcd as a condition Of passing the
Adamson law. II. after this. Mr.. VII.
son and Democratic Congress are
reelected, all hope such legislation
Is gone.
Mr.. Wilson. IN response to the Just
and severe criticism OF his coure In
bctraying the cause OF arbitration.
makes defense He says that he and
Congress were moved by their love OF
humanity and their belief In the be.
nefit to society Of the eight nour da,
and that they did not act under dur.
ess. 1t Is difficult to speak with pat.
fence Of the sincerity of such a de.
Tense. II the eight hour day was
granted to the Four Railway Orders,
not because they threatened to strike
for 1t, but because they deserved II,
why was 1t not granted by the same
statute to twelve Or fourteen hundred
thousand railway employees who were
not about to strike and whose terms of
employment were much less favorable
than those of the threatening strik.
ers? If humanity prompted such
legislation, why has 1t not been pro.
jected during the last three and half
years? Why did the Democratic Con.
vention not declare for It? Why did
not Mr.. Wilson refer to the necessity
for such legislation In his Speech OF
Acceptance? In his defense, Mr..
Wilson utterly refuses to consider the
question of justice Of the % per cent.
increase Of pay. This fact can not be
disposed Of by the shibboleth he uses,
Labor Is not q commodity" What.
ever those words may mean, they can
not conceal or excuse the disgraceful
fact that the President and Congress
Of the United States yielded to the
peremptory demand of the most fay.
ored class of labor, being only four
per cent. of all labor In this country,
to grant them 25 per cent. increase in
their pay, because of a threat that IL
this demand were not granted, they
could and would subject the business
Of the country to a disastrous halt and
the other ten millions of wage.earners
to heavy loss Of wages, inconven.
fence, and privation.
Mr.. Wilson's defense of his action
makes his case worse than II he had
said nothing. 1t Is palpably disingen-
uous and confirms the Just inference
that what moved him chiefly In the
matter was to secure votes, and that
the real interests Of the country had
but little weight.
Mr.. Wilson's action in Mexico
should defeat him for the Presidency.
And now Mr.. Hughes is asked what he