Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1916-09-21
HUGHES DODCEs ISSUE
ON EIGHT HOUR LAW
Attacks Wilson's Plan but Won't
Tell Public What He Would
Have Done.
ONLY WAY TO AVERT STRIKE
Republican Nominee Is Asked to De-
clare If He Would Have Vetoed the
Bill With Certain Assurance of
industrial Disaster.

So busy has been Charles Il.
Hughes criticising the deeds Of the
Wilson Administration that he has
had little time. or has purpoScy
evaded, telling the public what he
would have done had he been Prcsi-
dent under similar circumstances.
Lately Mr.. Hughes has turned his
attacks upon President Wilson's sue
cessful settlement of the crisis in the
railroad world by causing to be-
passed by Congress the Adamson
eight-hour bill Mr. Hughes has char
acterzed this action us It "Surrcn
der to force; he r. opposed 70 being
dictated to by any power On earth
before the facts are known; and he
would not act until he had had "fail
investigation and candid treatment.
Taking issue with the Republican
candidates attitude the New lort
Times, in an editorial, asks:
"WHAT WOULD MIR. uUGIli.
HAVE DONEi
well what way would NJ. hughes
have taken?' continues the Times
"What would he have donrf lior
was Mr. Wilson'S position i'h'
brotherhood refused arbitration, III.
railroad presidents would not ucccp
the settlement Mr.. Wilson proposed
granting tllp ciguf-hour standard day
with provision for an impartial inquiry
into its worl.ing. There was no law
on the statute bOOkS TO enforce uro.-
tratiOn.
"'rhc President knew, knew with
certainty and beyond question, th0j
he could not get such Il law from the
Congress now in session. The sure
and inevitable alternative to his &C
ceptance of the eight-hour standard
day measure was a strike, the eus-
pension Of railway ccrVice, freight and
passenger, all over the country, be-
ginning on the morning Of Sept. 4th
WOULD HUGHES HAVE DONE lT2
"Nlr. Hughes would not surrender
to anybody IN the country Then hs
would have surrendered the country
to the disturbance, immeasurable loss
and peril of strike. Would he, in
fact, have done that? Had he been
President. confronted by that situa-
tior, would Mr.. Hughes have brought
on strike by refusing to sign the
bill granting II wage increase? There
was the strike in plain sight, Il. few
hours away, sure to come Would Mr.
Hughes have vetoed the bill? On the
contrary, would he not have done just
what Mr. Wilson did, sign it?
"rhe Republican candidate stands
for two things: FIRST, for the prin-
ciple OF fair. impartial, thorough, can
did. arbitration; and second, for
legislation on facts according 10 the
necessities of the case Mr.. Wilson
stands for those two things and, much
NICE, has pledged himself TO use all
his influence to secure them.
"What more could Mr. Hughes doI
Would it be too much TO ask the Re
publican candidate TO put II little com
mon fairness into his speeches? Is
lie NlIuNl w ltIl llN uN'llAilNtN w llbl
the President actually did urge upon
Congress-?
AS II truo champion Of arbitration
President Wilson recommended that
arbitration judgments be made rec
Ords of court Of law, in order that
their Interpretation and enforcement
may not lie with the parties 10 the
dispute but with an Impartial and
authoritative tribunal 1t was his
purpose in this recommendation to
provide against future emergencies,
to prevent the recurrence of such
dangers as then confronted him and
the country.
ADVICE TO RAILROADS.
"The people of the United States
are not going to he put Off with the
misnfOrmaton us TO what the PreSi-
dent did To avert Il strike and to pre-
vent the threat Of future strikes. We
have reason to believe that the full
revelation of what he did, what he