The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1916-10-23

In the face Of threat of physical vio-
lence or who subordinates duty to the
hope OF personal political profit.
President Wilson's Timidity.
President Wilson further said. while
trying TO gloss-over his timidity in the
present by assuming an attitude of
frowning defiance as regards the neb-
ulous future, that the American peo-
pie must be made "a partner in the
settlement Of disputes that interrupt
the life OF the nation" that IL must
enforce the partnership and see to II
that no organization is stronger than
that organization to which we all be-
long, our own Government" and that
we the people must say TO any outside
organization that IL must not interrupt
the National life without consulting
US" These are fine words about the
future. They are intended to cover
up. but as a matter Of fact, they fur
nish the strongest condemnation Of Mr..
Wilson's deed in the present. In these
words Mr.. Wilson exactly describes
what he ought to have done with the
Bro%therhoods, and explicitly condemns
the action which he in fact took. If
the principles he laid down were good
for the future, they We're good for the
present. DO it now, Mr.. wilson, Do
not use fine words about what some
body else ought to do in the future in
order to cover your own shameful
abandonment Of duty in the present.
MI. Wilson has adroitly maintained
that the question at Issue was the eight
hour day. This is not all fact. The
question at issue was the question Of
wages. The law does not say that there
shall be an eight hour day. 1t a Y that
eight hours shall "be made the measure
Of a days work for the purpose Of re-
Ceiving compensation" In other words,
II was primarily an increase Of wages
and not a diminution OF hours that was
aimed at.
1 believe in the eight hour day. Ii is
the ideal toward which we should tend.
But I believe that there must be com
mon sense as well as common honesty
in achieving the ideal. Mr.. Wilson has
laid down the principle that there is
something sacred about the eight hour
day which makes 1t improper even 10
discuss IL.
MI GNlt FFeCSucnN.
1 heartily believe in a proper llmita-
ton by law Of hours of work in the
railroad service, and l recommended leg
islation TO that effect when ! was Pres
ident. l believe in the wages in n
industry being just as high as it is pos
sible TO make them without injustice
to the capital invested and to the pub
lie which is served. But il is a mere
trulsm TO say that 1t is impossible to
get this ideal achieved unless an hon
est and dispassionate effort is first
made by the proper commission 10 as
certain the full facts in the particular
case. AS regards the railroads. we
have 20 consider the wages paid To the
different classes Of employees, the In
terest on the investment, the earning
power Of the road. and the kind OF
service that must be rendered TO the
public. 1t is impossible to secure a
proper solution OF the problem unless
all these factors are considered. Mr.
Wilson absolutely declined TO consider
any OF them. He declined even TO ask
what they were. We have not at this
momen one particular Of trustworthy
information which VIII enable us TO
decide whether the demands of the
men were Just or not. | wish it dis
tinctly understood that | am not trying
TO pass Judgment upon the Justice Of
the case. l regard the engineers. fire
men and enginemen and trainmen gen
orally az doing peculiarly responsible
and arduous work, n entitled to par
ticulGr consideration as regards both
hours Of labor and pay. l hope that
they are fully entitled as a matter 81
Justice 70 what they will receive under
the Adamson bill and If ii so appears |
hall heartily support II. But | protest
against the far-reaching evil Of the
precedent set in the method which has
been followed. We are denied knoWl-
edge. We see Congress forced 10 act
under threats. l protest against any
law passed under such duress. ] pro-
test against the case being decided
without giving each party its day in
court, and above all without giving the
public it's day in court. | hope the de-
mands OF the men were just, and would
have been proved so TO be. If investi-
gated before a competent body. But |
explicitly protest against any action by
the government when no Investigation
has been held to see whether the
claims are or are not just, and when
they are granted through fear and not
as "a matter OF right.
Remember il is the public that in
the end will pay. You do not have to
take my assertion for this. Take the
assertion OF Mr.. Wilson'S master in
this matter. The Union leaders.
through their Chairman, Mr.. Garrett
son, announced that they would stead
lily refuse To arbitrate and that in their
action they were supported by the
President of the United States" They
stated their case in a nutshell as fol-
lows: I'm times like this. men go back
to primal instinct,-to the day Of the
caveman with his half-gnawed bone.
snarling at the other caveman who
wanted to take his bone away. We
leaders are fighting for our men. The
railroads are fighting for their stock
holders; and the shippers for them
selves. And the public will pay" Mr..