The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-08-29
PRESIDENT SPEAKS
TO CONGRESS
CONTINUED from page L;

ing dispute through friendly negotia-
tions. His efforts, he said, had re
suited in complete deadlock.
Now the country, faces, he said, a
great national calamity with cities
cut off from food supplies and the
commerce of the nation paraiyzed.
Countless thousands will in all like
lihood be brought it may be, TO the
very point of starvation"
Mediation under the existing laws
has failed, he admitted. and arbitra-
ton has been rendered impossible
''by the attitude of the men,"
He said that he had offered the
eight hour day as a basis for agree
ment because 1.-THE whole spirit of the
time and the preponderant evidence
of recent economic experience" spoke
out for it.
In the face of indications that the
railways would ultimately be obliged
tc accept the eight hour day byscon-
certed action of organized labor,
backed by the favorable Judgment OF
society they have declined TO accept
this means of settlement, he said.
The railways fear the influence of
hostile shippers and they apparently
feel no confidence that the interstate
commerce commission could with
EtdUQ lue OUJeCtlons thal "odAo NC
made. the president said.
They do not care to rely upon the
friendly assurances of the congress
or the president. They have thought
it best that they should be forced TO
yield, if they must, yield. not by coun-
sci but by the suffering of country"
The president tonight at eight
o'clock will go TO the capitol again to
confer with Speaker Clark, Represen-
tative Kitchen, floor leader OF the
house, Representative Mann, republic
can leader in the house, and Chair
man Adamson of the house interstate
commerce committee, and will urge
early action on his proposal.
Republicans manifested opposition
early today and indicated they would
need considerable time for debate.
Nevertheless, administration officials
feel that the entire program will go
through within ten days
The presidents speech to congress
follows:
Gentlemen OF the congress:
81 have come to you to seek your
assistance in dealing with very
grave situation, which has arisen cut
of the demand of the employees of the
railways engaged in freight train SER
vice that they be granted an eight
hour working day, safeguarded by
payment for an hour and a half of ser
vice for every hour of work beyond
the eight.
..The matter has been agitated for
more than a year. The public has
been made familiar with the demands
Of the men and the arguments merged
in favor of them, and even more fam
liar with the objections of the rail
roads and their counter demand that
certain privileges now enjoyed by
their men and certain basis of pay
ment worked out through many years
of contest be reconsidered, especially
in their relation to the adoption OF an
eight hour day The matter came
some three weeks ago to final issue
and resulted in complete deadlock
between the parties.
THE means provided by law for the |
of the controversy failed /
and the means of arbitration for I;
The representative of the railway /
executives proposed that the demands !
of the men be submitted in their en-
urety to arbitration, along with GER
tain questions of readjustment as to |
pay and conditions of employment
which seemed to them to be either /
closely associated with the demands /
or to call for reconsideration on their I
own merits; the men absolutely de-
clined arbitration, especially IL any OF /
their established privileges were by |
that means to be drawn again in que-- |
lion. The law IN the matter put no /
ompulsion upon them. The four hun
dred thousand men from whom the !
proceeded had voted to !
strike If their demands were refused; !
the strike was imminent; 1t has since |
been set for the fourth OF September |
next. II affects the men who man !
the freight trains on practically every |
railway in the country. The freight |
service throughout the United States |
must stand still until their places are !
filed IL indeed it should prove pos
eible to fill them at all. Cities will
be cut of from their food supplies, the
whole commerce of the nation will be
men of every sort and oc-
cupatfon will be thrown out Of employ
ment, countless thousands will in all
likelihood be brought, it may lie, to
the very point of starvation, and a
tragical national calamity brought on,
to be added to the other distresses OF
the time, because no basis OF accom-
mediation or settlement has been
found.
Just so soon as It became evident
that mediation under the existing law
had failed and thfN arbitration had
been rendered impossible by the at
titude OF the men. I considered it my
duty to confer with the representa-
tives of both the railways and the
h. Ear 0fVar IN
ton. not as an arbitrator, but merely
as spokesman of the nation, in the in
terest of Justice, indeed, and as a
friend OF both parties. but not as
judge. only as the representative of
one hundred millions OF men, women
and children who would pay the price,
the iucalculabIe price, of loss and suf
fering should these few men insist
upon approaching and concluding the
matters in controversy between them
merely as employers and employees,