The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-08-29
PRESIDENT WILSON
To Go Before Congress Today To Seek
Legislation To Avert Railroad
StrIke-WlthdrawaI Of Tenta.
tive Orders To Walk Out
Is Refused by Men.

Is Refused by Men.
Washington, August 2S-President
Wilson tonight definitely decided to go
before Congress in person tomorrow or
Wednesday to recommend legislation
aimed to avert the threatened nation
wide railroad strike or to stop 1t, II 1t
comes before Congress can act. He
worked until late tonight on his mes
sage in which he will tell members OF
the Senate and House the negotiations
to date and lay before them definite
legislative program.
The President reached this de-
cision after conferences at the White
House with the committee Of eight
railroad presidents and the four
brotherhood heads on a new pro-
posal for settlement of differences.
suggested by the executive, and after
prolonged discussion of the situa-
ton at the Capitol, with the men,
bers of the Democratic steering COM
mittee of the Senate. The proposition
of the railroad executives was that
an investigation of all issues be con-
Quoted by a commission TO be named
by the President, the investigation to
last for a period of three or four
months, no action to be taken by either
side in the meantime and at the con-
clusion of the inquiry the situation to
be what it now is, the employees having
the choice of either arbitrating or
striking. The brotherhood heads prom
Used a reply tomorrow morning and
there was every indication 1t would be
unfavorable.
Withdrawal Of Strike Order Urged
When the railroad brotherhoods
heads went to the White House to-
night, the President not only laid. be-
fore them the plan of the executives,
but strongly urged the withdrawal
of tentative strike order sent out
yesterday, subject to release, calling
for a walkout of the 100000 brother
hood members at o'clock the morn
ing of Labor Day, September 4. This
request was fatty refused the leaders
saying only the committee of GAO,
which left Washington yesterday had
power to recall the order.
Copies of the strike order were
brought to the Presidents attention
after they had gotten into the pos
session of the railroad executives. II
had been known that the members
of the committee of $40 carried home
with them a tentative order, but no
one outside the brotherhood counsel
had suspected that a date had been
set and the President is said to have
been perturbed by the information
After the refusal to withdraw the or
der he communicated with the railroai
Presidents, who held a meeting that
lasted until late in the night. Inspite of
the apparent final failure of his efforts
to bring the two sides together, the
President was represented tonight as
still being hopeful of averting strike
@ Legislative Program Mapped Out
The legislative program prepared
for Congress includes the following
measures:
An eight-hour day law for railroad
employees so framed as to give the
railroads time to prepare for it; and
A law patterned after the Canadian
industrial dispute act providing for
investigation of industrial disputes
on railroads by commission and
prohibiting strikes or lockouts pend
ing the outcome of the investigation.
In addition to these measures that
are under consideration, a resolution
to increase the revenues of the rail-
roads in case the expenses are in
creased and law creating authority
for the operation of the railroads un-
der the Federal Government in the
event of strike. The plan tonight
was to have the first two. measures
introduced as amendments to the bill,
which has already passed the House,
increasing the Interstate Commerce
Commission from seven to nine mem
bers
President Is Determined
Although on the surface a nation
wide railroad strike was nearer to-
night than II had ever been, con-
fdence was expressed in official quar-
tiers that the step under contemplation
would have the effect of preventing a
walkout. The President realizing the
disaster which would come to the
country IL the railroads are tied up,
was said to be determined to prevent
strike at any cost. In his confer
ences with the executives he strongly