Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-09-07
WILSON'S FLOP WILL EVENTUALLY
HIT LABOR.

AS time elapses all classes Of our cti-
zens will appreciate more and more the
eEregious blunder OF President Wilson
| In putting Congress in tho position Of
standing and delivering an eight hour
day for only particular portion Of the
railroad employees Of this nation We
have only to put the shoe on the other
| foot to realize fully this blunder.
If the railroad managers of the United
states had said we will stop running
trains unless Congress carries out Presi-
dent Wilson's other demand for lsgisla-
ton for increased freight and
passenger rates, there Is not an In
telligent man In the country who would
| not have condemned that course and
Justly. Congress has been put in the
attitude Of succumhing to threat of
the conductors. engineers and SC on.
''if you do not pass this measure we will
strike"
We naturally sympathize with the
workingman, yet We must recognize the
fact that the railroads had the same
right to stop running trains or to
threaten to stop running trains in order
to force Congress to pass legislation
favorable to their demands as have the
conductors and their colleagues
Perhaps some members of Congress. felt
safe in passing this measure to avert the
strike on the ground that the act Is
unquestionably unconstitutional. and
therefore can not be enforced. The meas
ure not only exempts railroads les, than
100 miles in length and thus discrimr ates
between both railroads and railway en-
poyes Of different lines, but It also dis
eliminates as between employees of the
same line and Of every railroad affected.
such legislation.
In the third place, as Congressman
Greene so well demonstrated III his
stirring and timely speech which was
warmly endorsed in Vermont, the meas
ure does not provide for an actual eight
hour day for men running trains. which
would be impossible on many lines
manifestly. 1t provides for payment on
the basis of an eight-hour day. This
means that Congress in effect has simply
voted that railroads shall pay thei. en-
ployes more than formerly
In the fourth place. II Senator I.aFollette
of Wisconsin Is correct, the new law
neutralizes or renders invalid the pre-
vious act Of Congress providing that
railroads shall not force trainmen TO
work more than sixteen hours con-
secutvely, Some railroads provide that
crews shall work over one run and then
lay off, Manifestly, 1t is not conducive
70 safety in travel to allow men to pas
senger trains for more than the time
named at one stretch, and the restriction
In question was wise.
Labor itself will inevitably rue the
day when 1t invoked governmental
action to raise the pay of railroad con-
ductors and other trainmen. As we have
already indicated. In every country where
government Intervention has been In
voked the ultimate result has been to
carry this power to its logical sequence
and provide for the prosecution of work.
men who strike to secure more pey, as
we'll as to place artificial limitations on
wages In times of stress.
1t is highly significant that many
legislators who voted for the bill In
question did so under protest not be-
cause they believed the policy wise. but
because the men had called a strike and
the passage OF this bill was declared the
only thing that would avert the strike
and save the country from much suffer
ing.
One inevitable result will be a material
raise In the cost of living. which vii, fall
with greatest severity on the poorer
classes least able to bear 1t, COM
pared with the conductors receiving
anywhere from 5000 to $4,000 year.
The worst of the situation is tha: the
trouble Is not ended but simply post
poned' President Wilson by dragging
this whole problem into politics has
done the nation irreparable injury and
III 'ine even the condemna ton OF work
ingmen will rise to plague him