The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-08-16
MEDIATION OR ARBITRATION.
Railroad President Discusses Several
Phases OF the Railway Strike Situa-
ton.

Atlanta, Ca, Aug. 11.-Mr. Chas A.
Wickersham, president and general
manager, Atlanta & West Point Rail-
road company and the Western Rail-
way OF Alabama, and general manager
OF the Georgia railroad gave out the
following statement as to just what is
the effect of the acceptance by the
managers and the brotherhood chiefs
of the good offices Of the federal board
of mediators:
There seems to be some confusion
In the public mind as to the differ
ences between mediation and arbitra-
tion, and perhaps word Of explana-
tion might be of some interest to your
readers.
First note the following definitions:
Mediate: TO interpose between two
parties in order to harmonize or rec
oncile them; act as mutual agent or
friend; serving as or being a means
or medium; acting more or less as an
intervening agency; indirect; second
ary.
Arbitrate: To act or give judgment;
fix; determine.
There Is no federal law requiring ar
bitration, but there is board of me-
diation, whose power Is limited to the
exercise Of friendly good Office between
employers and employees; but, even
with this limited scope. they have ac-
complished a great deal of good in
cases where there is real condition of
misunderstanding. or misconception of
each other by the parties in contro-
yersy. and especially, where anger and
passion, may. have clouded or warped
the cool sober judgment of either Or
all parties to a threatened or actual
strike.
The, Dominion OF. Canada has law
which, not only antedates ours by
several years, but is more far-reaching
r. Z
and hes proven very satisfactory to
both employers and employees. I'm
der their law, a board is created to in.
yestigate any such controversies as
may arise. and the parties thereto arc
forbidden to take any definite action;
l.. e.. the employee must not strike and
the employer must not institute a, lock
out, until, the board has, AN opportun-
ity to investigate. the period of truce,
as RECALL it, without having copy
of the. Canadian act before me, being
to thirty days.
During the truce period the board
investigates carefully, listens to the
arguments of both sides and endeavors
to mediate the difficulty in much the
same way as do our federal mediators.
but, falling to reconcile the conten-
tions, or to negotiate an agreement FOR
an. arbitration, 1t then becomes the
duty of the Canadian board to make
public its. findings and conclusions as
to the merits Of the controversy, thus
placing the whole question clearly be-
fore the bar of public opinion, which
is the court of last resort, and by
which the final outcome is really de-
termined in any Republican form of
In the present case, the highest
paid group Of railway employees of
the country, who have repeatedly re-
ccived increases in the last several
years, and who constitute. only Is
per cent. of the total number Of en-
p.oyees, draw % per cent. Of the to-
tai payroll, are demanding ten hours
pay for eight hours work. with time
and half for the ninth and tenth
hours, which would involve an in
crease of about SO per cent amount
ing. to 100000. 100000 per annum for
the whole country.
There Is no question about the pow
er Of this federated group Of train and
enginemen to paralyze the commercial
Intercourse of this country, though
some systems may be able to operate
their own lines with a fair degree Of
success.
The managers Of the railways have
taken the very reasonable position
that the revenues of the railways are
inadequate to meet this demand, not
to mention the fact that eighty per
cent. of their EMPLOYEES who draw
only seventy-two per cent. of the pay
roll are also entitled to consideration;
and now that the Interstate Commerce
Commission fixes the rates to be
charged by the railways in order to
earn reasonable return, they could
hardly justify themselves in asking
that rates be increased five per cent.