Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1916-09-28
HUGHES DODGGS ISSUE
ON EIGHT HOUR LAW
Attacks Wilson's Plan, but Won't
Say What He Would Have Done.
ONLY WAY TO AVERT STRIKE.

Republican Nominee Is Asked to De-
clare if He Would Have Vetoed the
Bill With the Certain Assurance of
Industrial Disaster to the Country.
SO busy has been Charles E. Hughes
criticising the deeds of the Wilson adj
ministration that he has had little
time to tell or has ~purposely evaded
telling the pubic what he would have
done had he been president under sim
liar circumstances.
Lately Mr.. Hughes has turned his
attacks upon President Wilson'S sue
cessful settlement of the crisis in the
railroad world by causing to be passed
by congress The Adamson eight hour
bin. Mr.. Hughes has characterized
this action as a surrender to force;;"
he is opposed to being dictated to by
any power on earth before the facts
are known" and he would not act IN
til he had had a fair investigation and
candid treatment"
Taking issue with the Republican
candidates attitude. the New York
Times in an editorial asks: What
would Mr.. Hughes have done?"
"Well, what way would Mr.. Hughes
have taken?" continues the Times.
What would he have done? Here
was Mr.. Wilson's position: The broth
erhoods refused arbitration; the rail
road presidents would o accept the
settlement Mr.. Wilson proposed, grant
ing the eight hour standard day, with
provision for an impartial inquiry into
it's working. There was no law on
the statute books to enforce arbitra-
ton.
'"The president knew, knew with GER
could not get such a law from the
congress now in session. The sure
and inevitable alternative to his &C.
ceptance of the eight hour standard
day measure was a strike, the suspen-
sion of railway service, freight and
passenger, all over the country, begin
ming on the morning of Sept. a.
Would Hughes Have Done 1t?
Mr.. Hughes would not surrender
to anybody in the country. Then he
would have surrendered the country to
the disturbance, immeasurable loss and
peril of a strike. Would he, in fact.
have done that? Had he been presi
dent, confronted by that situation.
would Mr.. Hughes have brought on a
strike by refusing to sign the bill
granting a wage increase?
There vas the strike in plain sight.
a few hours away. sure to come
Would Mr.. Hughes have vetoed the
bill? On the contrary, would he not
have done just what Mr.. Wilson did.
sign it?
The Republican candidate stands
for two things-'tirst, for the principle
of fair. impartial. thorough, candid
arbitration, and, second, for legislation
on facts according to the necessities
Of the case Mr.. Wilson stands for
those two things and, much more, has
pledged himself to use all his influence
to secure them.
"What more could MI. Hughes do?
Would l. be too much to ask the Re-
DuUllCdu CdlluluulC W IuC u 1lIIlS Oll
mon fairness into his speeches? Is he
afraid to tell his audiences what the
| president actually did urge upon con-
gress?
LAS q true champion Of arbitration
| President Wilson recommended that
| arbitration judgments be made records
| of a court Of law in order that their
| Interpretation and enforcement may
| not lie with the parties to the dispute.
but with an impartial and %authorita-
| tive tribunal 1t was his purpose to
provide against future emergencies to
what he nearly succeeded in doing in
the White House conferences would
put such a face upon the matter that
prevent the recurrence of such dangers
as then confronted him and the coun-
try.
'The people Of the United States are
not going to be put off with the mis-.
information as to what the president
did to avert n strike aud to prevent the