The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-08-30
RAILROAD HEADS PLAN TO FIGHT LAWS URGED
 BY PRESIDENT WILSON

Washington, Aug. 30-The rail- raod executives received President Wilson's address in no sympathetic spirit. He proposed several things ad- vocated by the railroads, but his re- quest for an eight-hour day by law opens up, the railroad presidents be- lieve, way for demands by all their other. workers for the same hours. They have estimated that this would cost the railroad $250, o,000 a year.
 E. P. Ripley, President o the Santa Fe, who left Washington last night to prepare to fight the strike was asked what he thought of the President s speech:
 "It shows, as we have contended all along, that he doesn't know what he Is talking about" was MT. Ripley's reply.
 The consensus of the railway pres idents may be summed up thus:
 First Proposal-That the In- terstate Commerce Commission
 be increased. The railroads have
 all along asked for this measure
 and are heartily in favor of 1t.
 Second Proposal - Establish
 ment of the eight-hour day by
 law. This is what the railroads
 refused to concede in the Presi-
 dents plan of settlement and the
 one proposal the adoption of
 which they will fight to the last
 ditch.
 Third Proposal-Creation of a
 commission to investigate the
 working of the eight-hour day.
 ct ho 1trIk
 hour day the railroads would be
 glad to have this commission in
 power.
 Fourth Proposal-Approval by
 Congress of consideration by the
 Interstate Commerce Commission
 of an increase in freight rates.
 The railroads are dubious about
 the benefit of this proposal, be-
 lieving that the commission may
 regard it as an attempt to distate
 a semi-judicial decision.
 Fifth Proposa1-Estab blishment
 of a commission to investigate
 labor disputes, and prohibition of
 strikes while inquiry is on. This
 is one of the things the railroads
 asked for.
 Sixth Proposal Giving the
 President power to operate trains
 for military purposes. The rail-
 roads are, in favor of any meas
 ure that will keep more trains
 running in case of strike.
 The Presidents language in the sec ond proposal when he said there should be established "an eight-hour day as the legal basis alike for work and of wages claimed the attention of the railroad Presidents at once. They took the stand that Congress had the power to legislate hours of work and minimum wages, but that Congress did not have the power to legislate scales of wages It is broad passed the Supreme court would at once be asked to annAl it. The Presi- dent of a large rod. who asked that his name not be used. put it thus:
 Legislative bodies have the power to provide a sixteen hour day for hu- manitarian reasons. They have the right to prescribe a minimum wage on the same ground, but Congress has no power to try to tell the railroads how much they shall pay their work CTS by enacting a change in the whole extent of the wage schedules. which is all an eiglt-hour day will really amount to-
 While most of the railway executives left Washington last night to go home and prepare to fight the strike, a ma Jor1ty of the members of the Advisory Committee remainef They are Frank TrumbeD, Chairman r- the Chesa- peake oS Ohio: Howard Elliott, Presi- dent of the New Haven: Samuel Req, President of the Pennsylvania; A. H. smith, President of the New York Central: F. D. Underwood President of the Erie: Daniel Willard President of the Baltimore & Ohio: Hale Holden, President of the Burlington; A. J. Early, President of the St. Paul; c. H. Markham, President of the Illinois Central: W. J. Harahan, President of the Seaboard Airline; B. F. Bush. head of the Southern Pacific; Henry Walters, President of the Atlantic Coast Line; R. F.. Lovett head of the Union Pacific, and Alfred B. Thom, counsel to the committee. This com mittee will keep the railroads of the