El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-08-29
CONGRESS ALONE
To AVERT STRIKE
President Goes Before Con
gress in Effort to Pre-
vent Tie UP.

4
sition taken by the supreme court Of
| the United States. when appealed to
| protect certain Htigants from the
I financial losses which they confidently
| expected if they should submit TO the
regulation of their charges and OF their
| methods of service by public legisla-
| ton
The court has held that it would
not undertake TO form judgment upon
! forecasts. but could base its action only
on national acceptance; that II must
! be supplied with facts, not with cal
| culations and opinions. however scien-
/ tifically attempted
Would Avoid Conjecture.
ITO undertaken To arbitrate the
question of the adoption Of an eight
, hour day in the light of results merely
estimated and predicted would be to
undertake an enterprise of conjecture.
No man could undertake II. or if he
did undertake il. could feel assured OF
his conclusions
Offered Rate Increases
q unhesitatinSly offered the friend
ly services IF the administration to
the railway managers to see TO II that
justice was done the railroads in the
outcome. l felt warranted in assuring
them no obstable of law would be SUI
fered to stand in the way of their
increasing their revenues to meet the
expenses resulting from the change SO
far as the development of their BUSH
ness and of their administrative eff
cheney did not prove adequate TO meet
them The public and the representa-
tives of the public, l felt justified in
assuring them, were disposed TO moth
ing but justice in such cases and were
willing TO serve those who served
them.
Employees Accepted: Railroads Refused.
The representatives of the brother
hoods accepted the plan. but the rep
resentatives OF the railroads declined
to accept it. In the face of what 1
at kHW# I L
tainty that they will be ultimately
obliged to accept the eight-hour day
by concerted action Of organized labor.
backed by the favorable Judgment of
society. the repreSen tatives of the rail-
way arrangements have felt justified
IN declining a peaceful settlement
which would engage all the forces Of
Justice. public and private. on their
side, to take care Of the event
Sharply Scores Railroads.
They fear the hostile influence Of
shippers who would be opposed to an
increase Of freight rates (for which.
would pay); they apparently feel no
confidence that the interstate COM
merce commission could Withstand the
COLLECTIONS that would be made They
do not care to rely upon the friendly
assurances of the congress or the presi-
dent
Latest Crisis Developments.
They have thought it best that they
should be forced to yield. If they must
yield, not by counsel. but by the SUI
fering Of the country While nv con-
ferences with them were in progress !
and when. to all outward appearance I
these conferences had come to a stand |
STILL the representatives of the brother
hoods suddenly acted and set the strike
for the fourth OF September
Arbitration Discussion Useless.
The railway managers based their /
decision to reject my counsel in this Z
matter upon their conviction that thew
must al any cost 10 themselves or to &
the country stand firm for the prin- I
clple OF arbitration which the men
had rejected I based my counsel uDor I
the indisputable fact that there was /
no means Of obtaining arbitration The. ?
law supplied none earnest efforts n 4
mediation had failed to influence the .
men in the least
Arbitration Talk Futile.
10 stand firm for the principle of I
and yet not get arbitration
seemed TO me futile, and something
more than futile because IL involved
distress to the country and !;
in some respects worse
than those of war, and that in the
midst Of peace
I yield to no man in firm adherence.
a al OF convietion and Of purpose. TO
the principle Of arbitration in indus
trial disputes; but matters have come
70 a sudden crisis in this particular
dispute and the country has been
caught unprotected without any prac-
Icable means of enforcing that con-
viction in practice (by whose fault
We will not now stop to inquired.
The situation had to be met whose
elements and fixed conditions were in
Wilson Chose Practical Course
THE practical and patriotic course
TO pursue, as II seemed to me was TO
secure immediate peace by cOncedfng
the one thing in the demands OF the
hHFah it,
bitrators who represented public senti-
nent We're most likely to approve and
Immediately lay the foundations for I
securing arbitration with regard to
everything else involved The event
mas confirmed that Judgment
Negotiations Completely Fail
Direct negotiations between the rail-
road executives and employees through
president wilson were practically
closed today, when the executives re )
fused to accede to a proposal made ~ .
them Monday by Mr. Wilson and nre !
scented to him a statement of their no.
sltlon containing another argument for
arbitration
The statement presented to president
wilson by the committee of eight de-
MES that the judgment OF society favors
an Ib, elsht hour day and declared that
settling industrial disputes
Inter Proposal Rejected.
Inc suggestion of president Wilson
TOT proposal including the principle
OF me elght hour day. but postponing
its effectiveness for a year. pendine2
investigation. was rejected by the rail
road executives at the conference this
morning.
The action of the railroad presidents
IaKen IN connection with the strike or
der of the employees. left president Wi
son no alternative but to 20 TO con-
gress in final effort to avert the
strike by legislation.
Call Canadian Plan Slavery.
me brotherhood heads. Garretson
stone Lee and Carter. issued the fol-
lowing statement explaining their on
position to any legislation along the
lne OF the Canadian commission:
since the abolition of slavery no
more effectual means has been devised
Tor insuring the bondage of the work
ng man than the passage of compuI-