The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1916-09-07

Try 1Or mOutu, was l1lIeu, IOuA6AI.
Three hours after the senate had
passed, without amendment, the Adam
son eight.hour day bill passed by the
house yesterday, the heads OF the four
great railroad employees brotherhoods
telegraphed 600 odd code messages to
their general chairmen in all parts of
the country cancelling the strike or.
der issued a week ago to take effect
at o'clock next Monday morning.
The legislative expedient to avert
The strike was passed In the senate by
"a vote of 43 to 3S, almost strict party
vote, amid stirring scenes, after many
senators, democrats and republicans,
had fought desperately to amend the
measure by provisions designed to pre-
vent Industrial disasters in the future.
In both houses the measure was
signed within few minutes after the
final vote in the senate and 1t was
sent at once to the White House where
President Wilson will sign 1t at 1880
O'Clock tomorrow morning. Officials
of the brotherhood who witnessed the
final passage of the bill announced
early in the night that cancellation of
the strike would not be ordered until
the bill had been signed. But later
they conferred and flashed the code
message signalling to the waiting
trainmen of the country that salts
The bill that stopped the strike pro-
vides that after Jan. I, 1917, eight
hours shall be regarded as basis of
reckoning for days pay of men en-
gagged in the operation of railroad
trains in interstate commerce Except
ing roads less than 100 miles long and
electric lines). That they shall re.
ceive pro rata pay for work in excess
of eight hours and that their rate Of
compensation shall not be changed
pending an investigation for six to
nine months, of the effect of the eight
hour day upon the railroads. by a com.
mission to be appointed by the pres.
ident. ~
! Efforts to amend the bill in the sen.
ate were futile, the supreme effort to
avert it having been led by Senator
Underwood who sought to provide that
the interstate commerce commission
should have power to fix railroad
wages and hours of service in the fu.
ture. This amendment was defeated
81 to IA.
Railroad officials have declared that
the action of congress will cost them
$60,O00,000 year in increased wages
to the trainmen. Brotherhood officials
say the amendment will mean not
more than an annual increase of $780,
100000. In congress and among the
railroad officials there has existed
doubt as to the constitutiOnality of the
Ia hut vryS,o kc$o hn <o1,
an to test this have not been indicated
Quick. action by the brotherhood
heads followed the action in the SEN
ate. No doubt existed in their minds
that President Wilson would sign the
bill as soon as it was handed to him.
~ Issuance of the order of cancella-
tion followed a meeting of the four
brotherhood heads and 13 remaining
members Of their committee of $40.
Some opposition to acting before the
president actually had affixed his sig
nature was evident in the meeting but
In the end the II voted unanimously to
call off the strike Immediately. All
the code messages had been prepared
In advance and as quick as the deci-
sion was announced clerks rushed to
telegraph Offices with arm loads Of
messages.
No two Of the more than 600 dis.
patches were alike. The original plan
to wait until the president had signed
the bill before calling off the strike
was abandoned in order to facilitate
transmission Of the messages.
It was thought that if the order was
mot sent out until tomorrow many
small telegraph offices probably would
be closed and the 10000 or more local
chairmen, all Of whom in turn are to
receive messages from the $40 general
chairmen might not be advised.
The four brotherhood heads were in.
vited tonight to be present tomorrow
morning when President Wilson signs
the bill. The president will use four
pens in afhxing the signature and each
Of the labor leaders will be given one
as "a sOuvenier.
Although members Of congress
breathed easier when their task was
done, the relief was not so much q
demonstration of satisfaction over the
legislation enacted as over the imme.
rdiate result it accomplished.
Miss Julia Starkson