The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-09-26

the whole moral and physical vlGcr OF
the man is added to.
Demanded Eight Hour Day.
and therefore, said to these gen
tlemen on both sides at the very be-
ginning: The eight-hour day ought to
be conceded
But they said: 1T will cost us an
immense sum of money. How DO
YOU know how much it will cost you?
I said to the railroad executives. You
are asking that the results Of the
eight-hour day be predicted and the
prediction be arbitrated. You are ask
inc for an arbitration of a conjecture,
of an opinion of a forecast of the fls-
ures of experts based upon an entirely
different experience, and if you were
to ask me personally to arbltrate
such question l would say | am not
competent to arbitrate it.
"The reasonable thing to do is to
grant the eight-hour day. not because
the men demand it, but because it IS
right and let me get authority from
congress to appoint a~commission OF
as impartial a nature as can choose
to observe the results and report
unon the results in order th&t justice
NAV be done the railroads in re-
spect to the cost of the experiment
sThat was the proposal which they
rejected and which congress put into
q law, a proposal which mad' to
them before l conferred with con-
gress.
esI did not ask either side whether
if suited them, and l requested my
friends in congress not to ask either
side whether it suited them. J de-
fined before the controversy began, SO
far as I was concerned in it that the
whole temper of the legislative BODY
of the United States was in favor OF
the eight-hour day.
Republicans Voted for 1t.
"1n the house OF representatives the
plan was passed, was sanctioned Oy
a vote which included, am tolo'
about 70 republicans, as against Or
republicans, and in the senate l am
informed five republican members Oh
the senate held conference in which
thev determined to put no obstacle IN
the way CT the passage OF the Dill.
Now. this was because the proposal
was reasonable and was based upon
right.
But, ladies and gentlemen, that IS
not the end of the story. This tmns
ought to be done at the time that Is
Nas done, so as to bring about rea-
sonable trial of the eight-hour day
and a. careful examination of the re-
suits of the eight-hour day. But tnat
does not finish the matter. Let me
call vour attention to what I believe
we ought all to be thinking about 80
ps TO set the stage for this and all
similar cases.
There are some things in which So
ciety is so profoundly interested that
its interests take precedence OF the
interests of any group of men what
ever. One of these things is the sup
NV of the absolute necessaries OF lie.
= would be intolerable if at any time
any group of men by process should
he suffered to cut society OFF from
the necessary supplies which sustain
life.
Peoples welfare at Stake.
.But these supplies are of no use
unless they can be distributed and IN
the matter of the distribution VI
goods, particularly of the goods that
sustain life and industry, the interest
of society is paramount to every oon-
er interest; nnd the difficulty about
all situations like that We have Just
PASSED through is this, that the main
partner is left out of the recognition.
These men were dealing with one an
other as if the only thing to settle
was between themselves, whereas, the
real thing to settle was what rights
had the hundred million people OF the
United States.
"The business of government is to
see that no other organization is as
strong as itself; to see that no body
or group of men, no matter what thelr