The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-08-30

CONGRESS TO
PREVENT STRIKE
CONTINUED from page ~
mendous reaction in the country
! against the union men that might turn
the entire trend of events.
| Thus far, however, the brother
hoods have indicated no intention OF
lrescinding their strike order.
It is the hope and belief of admins.
tration officials that following the
presidents action Of yesterday, there
will be an immediate response from
the country urging delay of any strike
action by the employees until congress
has had time to pass the legislation
before It,
The railroad strike tying up every
piece of rolling stock in the country
will be in effect Monday, brotherhood
men said today. The order for 1t In
cludes every brotherhood man in the
United States-both in passenger and
in freight traffic.
| While the freight men are the only
ones making demands. the passenger
men are included in the strike order.
The reason that they also did not
make demands is that the eight hour
day now applies to passenger service.
while the pay is based on mileage. or
on the slow trains. of a monthly guar
antee The unions have decided for
mally that President Wilson's legis-
lative program will not alter their de-
Termination to strike. Prominent
brotherhood men reiterated today
that only railroad acceptance of the
eight hour day-ten hour pay propos-
Ial, can head on the tie-up.
Ended In Quarrel.
rBy J. P. Yoder, United Press Staff
Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Aug. 30.-The first
formal effort of congress to r!,sa
through legislation to prevent the
strike Of four hundred thousand rail-
way employees set for Monday morn
ing, ended temporarily in quarrel
today when bitter charges were made
that certain senators are attempting
to make political capital out of a
disastrous situation"
The charges were made by Senator
Robinson, Arkansas. They followed
a statement in committee by Senator
These senators, it was stated, de-
clared that since the date had been
set and that a strike appears to be
inevitable, there is no need to rush
! through hasty legislation that might
afterwards prove inadequate to hold
for all time as law.
1.-The strike is not inevitable,
Robinson was quoted as saying. 1T
seems to me that a time like this
when the nation is facing the most
disastrous Industrial situation in cur
history, members Of all parties should
stand together regardless of party Or
personal ambitions"
The meeting grew so stormy that
the committee adjourned the session
after passing a resolution agreeing to
! hear the employees, the railway mana
!, gers and the shippers in the senate
! Office building tomorrow. Just be-
! fore adjournment, however, the con-
mittee decided tentatively to mees
| again this afternoon.
| Calls IL Impossible.
WASHINGTON, Aug. Ex-senator
Cummins today in a senate speech.
denounced so called compulsory ar
bitration" as an impcssTbility. There
Is no power, he said, in which federal
| or state governments can force men
to work when they do not want to.
This, he said, would be the case I'M
der any actual compulsory arbitra-
ton law. The fifth and thirteenth
amendments to the constitution, he
said, would prevent operation OF such
proposed laws.
"I do not doubt, however" said
I< &1ox onf orr
a tribunal, and confer upon it juris-
diction to seize upon a controversy
between a cooperative body of rail-
way workers, such for instance as the
brotherhood OF engineers and the
railway companies, call the parties In
dispute in before it, take evidence
and render judgment, assuming OF
| course, that the dispute affects com
merce with foreign nations or among
states.
But even this procedure would
meet obstacles, since enforcement
OF an award might compel men
to work against their will, which is
involuntary servitude. Compulsory
arbitration, in the complete sense is
a myth. an idle dream. 1t is only
possible under pure socialism in
which all relations Of the human are
determined by the state, or in pure
monarchy.
'If we are ready to treat the man
who refuses to work, OF who leaves
his work because he IS dissatisfied
with wages or working conditions, as
we do criminals or deserving soldiers
i, then compulsory arbitration is pos
sible.
81 pray we never shall be ready to
do this
Cummins said there is some OF
good in both the Canadian and New
Zealand laws regarding industrial dis
putes, but that they are not wholly
effective. Similar laws in Mass
achusetts and Wisconsin, he believes
are better. The Erdnan and New