New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-02
mo PANIC LEGISLATION
Should Not Yield the Group "on VINO Have the
President
The IacMso Presidential Approval

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: VIII you permit an inconspcuous
member of the dear public (who, in relation
to railroad matters, proverbially may be
damned to express his ardent approval Of
your yesterdays editorial, NO Panic Logis-
lation"? You unerringly place the chief
blame where it belongs.
This latest performance is merely one more
illustration Of DR.. Woodrow Wilson's I'M
exampled talent for scrambling and "balling
up" every situation he takes hand m ana
converting plain straight road into track
less labyrinth. His handling Of our Mexican
relations was masterpiece on these .lroi
which at the time of his Inauguration pre-
scented a plain and comparatively simple duty
which called for prompt performance. This
duty. as everybody now knows, was then
neglected. and has never yet been performed,
but in its place a multitude of needless COM
plications have been introduced into the prob
lem. the conception of which revealed a SHIN
ing genius in the art of laundering. In
lesser degree only is the same true OF tho
handling of every other international crisis
which has arisen under the present Admin
list alton, and. so far as possible, domestic
problems also.
The various humiliating submarine nego-
tiations. the army preparedness fasco, as well
as many others, are familiar instances OF the
long and disheartening series. Each and az
have failed in their apparent and proiessed
objects 7 use the adjectlves advlsedly; ana
this applies with equal effect 70 this latest
railroad-labor scramble. Having signaly
failed in his avowed purpose of settling The
DISPUTE in the interests Of the public ne
now masses the buck to Congress, with me
6 ntrfLy 10 81
both senses of the term making the eight
hour day compulsory. The effect which such
an enactment would produce is obvious %
anv tvro. Dr. Wilson persistently maintain:
that the eight-hour day has the sanction OF
the public at large. but. as he has more than
once confessed that he does not know "na'
the people want, the value of this opinion -
somewhat dubious. A compulsory eight-noor
dav on ten-hour pay would be clearly IN me
interests Of nobody but the brotherhood OF
400 600 trainmen. The railroad companies "a
order 70 nav this extra wage, would be iorceu
to nav correspondingly lower dividends 20
their 100000 stock and bond holders, or 20
CHARGE higher rates against the sOVUV'OVV
neople of the United States whose Interests
DR. Woodrow Wilson was elected 10 serve
The proposed legislation manifestly wou.d
not settle the pending question, but "o1'l'
on the other hand only introduce INTO IL eu'
ditional complications. Il ought 90 be oe-
feated The demand for TINS Legislation q
the part of the President is therefore ons
or the other Of two things. neither OF "h'''
,oIo,rds N his credit Either il is q comics
sior NJ mis- own failure and inability 90 cope
with the situation, which he might have done
,,..,b comparative ease at the outset by ju'
standing firmly for arbitration; or else u IS
niece Of political chicancry deliberate
formulated in the interests Of the labor o.
,,,nizations. do not profess 10 know wh.e1'
GEORGE WESTERYELI.
New York. Aug. 81, 1916.