The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1916-09-06
BLUFF is CARRIED OUT.

The threatened strike of four hun
dred thousand trainmen did not come
off according to program. There never
has been in the history OF labor suclra
bluff carried out successfully as in this
recent move, the responsibility Of
which is upon the president of the
United States. 1t is safe to assert that
very small proportion OF the So
called four hundred thousand labor
ers. would have taken part in the strike
had it not been called Off, and yet, the
labor organization presented a bold
front and enabled the president to
make a great political stroke. He
called the representatives of both the
labor organizations and the railroad
presidents before him, demanding that
he should have q hearing before the
strike was made effective. He knew
when he called the representatives of
the two organizations before him what
was the bone of contention that the
railroads desired to have the questions
in dispute submitted to arbitration.
while the representatives of labor alb
solutely refused to make this con-
cession. President Wilson, without
being invited by either faction, made
himself the arbitrator and furnished
plan of settlement which conceded
largely what labor demanded and was
opposed to the claim Of the railroads.
The question of an eight hour day
was decided Oh the spur of the mo-
ment by the president. which meant
that labor was to receive the pay of
ten hours for eight hours> service
After the president had taken this
position it daWncd upon him that it
was simply move on the part of labor
to raise the wages and that the raise
would come out of the railroads. Then
lie undertook to smooth Out the trouble
by betraynS his client, the one hun
dred millions of people for whom he
said he appeared and whom he repre-
scented, by making an effort to have
freight increased SO that the railroads
would be compensated for the loss on
account of shortening the hours of
labor. y,
Everybody knows that the increase
of rates means that shippers must
pay more for shipping their products
and, ultimately, that it must come out
of the producers.
The act which was railrOaded
through congress by the president is
i'll PHccC Inc president > program anu
will ultimately result in the increase
of freights because the railroads can
not stand the loss which would come
from reducing the hours of the day
from ten to eight hours, but when this
increase comes and the burden is
placed upon the people, the RESPONSE
,bility must bc~lodgcd with the labor
organizations and with President Will
son.
The farmers of Texas and other
states have already taken up the ques-
ton and have placed their condemna-
ton upon the program which has been
carried out in Washington. The rail
road people believed and we think
there was justification for the belief,
that if the strike had occurred it would
have proved failure and for the reas-
on that the laboring men involved are
now receiving wages entirely adequate
for the service performed.
Mr.. Wilson and the leaders Of the
democratic party can congratulate
themselves that they have made a bold
strike to capture the labor union vote
and they may succeed in doing it, but
they will find that they are simply SOW
ing to the wind and will reap the
WhirlWind, because when the time OF
adjustment comes and the railroads
have their freight rates increased and
the farmers of the country are paying
it, then they will take notice of the
fact that they have been himflammed
for political purposes.