Omaha daily bee., 1916-11-03
RAILROAD men GET
WISE TO FLIMFLAM
Workers Are Coming to Sup
port Hughes as Discover
Deception Practiced.
WHAT THIS LAWYER SAYS

NEW 1OTk, NOV. E.-NopeSidi hSiN
gram. .)-Something is going wrong
with the program of the Big Four
railroad brotherhoods to deliver the
votes of all railroad workers to Will
son.
Governor Hughes has labor rec
ord, too, and it is winning the support
of wage earners on the railroads, even
the railway trainmen, despite the
frantic attempt of the presumptive
beneficiaries of the Adamson act to
hold them in line for the president.
The National Hughes alliance to-
day pointed to flood of enrollments
from railroad men as proof OF the
declaration that railroad men are
rallying to the support Of Governor
Hughes. Among batch of signed
enrolment cards received we're those
of five employees of the Erie railroad,
of railroad conductor of the Boston
& Albany living at Pittsfield, Mass;
of Pennsylvania railroad brakeman
living at Philadelphia, Pa, and of a
fireman of the Jersey Central al
Bayonne, N. J., who, by the way, rec
orded the fact that be voted for Will
son in 1912.
A brakeman of the Jersey Central
signed from Bayonne; from Jersey
City came the coupon Of an assistant
foreman of a section gang on the
Pennsylvania railroad. A Pennsyl-
vania railroad clerk at Railway signed
and a freight clerk of the Baltimore &
Ohio sent card from Elizabeth.
A claim clerk of the Lackawanna
railroad signed, an Erie man enrolled
from Paterson, a draughtsman who
voted for Wilson last time enrolled
from Newark and station agent Of
the Jersey Central at Barnegat signed.
This batch of cards happened to be
largely from New Jersey, but the rec
ords OF the alliance show that the
movement toward Hughes among
railroad men as shown by these cards
is just as true of other states.
Brotherhoods' Counsel Speaks.
In a statement made public here to-
day, Miles M. Dawson, member of
the advisory council of the American
Association for Labor Legislation,
praises Governor Hughes and shows
how President Wilson tricked the rail
road brotherhoods by the so-called
Adamson eight-hour law.
Mr.. Dawson is we'll qualified to
speak on the subject, for he was coun-
sci for the brotherhoods at Washing
ton during the agitation that preceded
the enactment of the Adamson law
and was present at the hearings before
the senate committee on interstate
commerce when the bill was under
consideration. Mr.. Dawson has long
been associated with the brotherhoods
and was a witness for them in several
arbitrations.
"The foremost trait Of Charles E.
Hughes is answering devotion to
duty" says Mr.. Dawson. THAT ex-
plains his character and it his career.
1t explains, for instance, why he is so
slow to accept new responsibilities;
he expects to fulfill them. !
"At, Albany, while he was governor,
was the open door, He received in
the big room, before all who gathered
there, all comers on public business,
friends or foes, rich or poor, powerful
or friendless, and he listened or OBJ
served. There were no private con-
ferences, no visitors upon public
business except in public The back
stairs both literally and figuratively
disappeared. He welcomed open criti-
cism Of proposed legislation; the
sharper the better. Thus mistakes
could be remedied, or if too late for
that the faulty bill could be vetoed.
Thus legislation was brought to such
perfection that little of it failed of its
full purpose.
Devotion to duty also explains the
things which Hughes did for working
ment, more legislation for their real
benefit than this state had ever seen,
every line of it thoroughly wrought
out after deliberation and submission.
to criticism.
"Charles E. Hughes was my fellow
member on the Social Reform club Of
this city twenty years ago, club
which supported labor's cause con-
stantly and consistently, and in which
the movement for workmen's COM
pensation in this country originated.
He was so identified when Woodrow
Wilson was, as a reformer, grossly i'll
sulting organized labor, as of late he
insults classes of citizens, whom he
thinks he can with impunity, and pos
sibly with political advantage. z
About the Eight Hours"
$50, also, regarding the eight-hour
controversy. The railway brother
hoods demanded an eight-hour day,
with time and a half for overtime,
and they refused to arbitrate because
no offer was made to arbitrate this
plain issue, and because long list of
counter claims regarding things long
ago settled by agreements, comproi
misses or arbitrations was set up.
Had proposal been made by the
railroad managers for eight hours at
ten hours pay, leaving out the time
and half for overtime the brother
hoods would have rejected it and
struck rather than stood for it. The
brotherhood leaders instantly accept
ed this very proposal when made by
the president, though they would
have rejected it had it been made by
the managers. Had they not the rail-
road managers would have accepted.
The brotherhoods would have been so
universally condemned as to make
strike hopeless. The brotherhoods
have, as yet, nothing but the prospect
of increased wages, for the eight-hour
day they must again give battle.
Every item on Wilson's legislative
program is intended to be put through
in the short session in which the
brotherhoods expect to fight"
EIenore Bergstrom
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