Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-09-05
Railway Employees Will Get
Eight Hour Day After
First of January
WILSON TO SIGN
BILL SECOND TIME
Not to Chance Any Question
Because of Signing 1t
on Legal Holiday

road service throughout the nation
continued as usual this morning and
the strike which had been ordered did
not come to pass because on Saturday
night congress passed law which vir-
tually granted the demands Of the four
railroad brotherhoods. The rescind-
ing Of the strike order followed imme-
diately after the bill passed the SEN
ate. Peace in the railroad world is
now assured for the next nine months
ut least. At the end of that time the
matter is to be definitely settled. The
indications are that the railroads will
night the constitutionality Of the law
passed Saturday night.
President Wilson signed the railroad
eight hour day bill yesterday morning.
A question arose as to the legality Of
I signing the bill on legal holiday, so
to circumvent an action on this line,
the president will again af1ix his sig
nature to the bill tomorrow morning.
Vote on Party Lines.
The legislative expedient by which
congress averted the strike was pass
ed in the house Friday afternoon and
in the senate Saturday night. In the
senate the vote was 43 to %, almost
q strict party vote taken amidst rio
tous scenes, after many senators, DEM
ocrats and republicans, had fought des-
perately to amend the measure by
provisions designed to prevent indus
trial disasters in the future. Some
senators declared congress was being
coerced into enactment of legislation
that it did not desire, and that it knew
would return to plague it in the future.
In both houses the measure was sign
ed within few minutes after the final
vote in the senate, and it was sent at
once to the white house. Officials Of
the brotherhoods who witnessed the
final passage Of the bill had announced
early in the night that cancellation of
the strike would not be ordered until
the bill had been signed by the presi-
dent and actually had become law. But
later they conferred and changed their
signalling to the waiting trainmen Of
signalling to the waiting tarinmen of
the country through their chairmen
the message that satisfactory settle
mont had been obtained.
Features Of Bill.
The bill that stopped the strike pro-
vides that after January 1, 1917, eight
hours shall be regarded as basis of
reckoning for days wage of men en-
gagged in the operation of railroad
trains in interstate commerce Except.
ing roads less than 100 miles long and
electric lines) that they shall receive
pro rata pay for work In excess of
eight hours and that the rate Of COM
,pensation shall not be changed pend.
ing an investigation for six or nine
months of the effect of the eight hour
day upon the railroads by a commits.
sion to be appointed by the president
Amendment Defeated.
Efforts to amend the bill in the SEN
ate were futile, the supreme effort to
Rlter it having been led by Senator
Underwood, who sought to provide
that the interstate commerce commits.
sion should have power to fix railroad
wages and hours Of service in the fu.
ture. This amendment was defeated
by q vote Of 81 to IA.
A Party Vote.
Only two democrats, Senators Hard
wick Of Georgia and Clark Of Arkansas
voted against the bill, and one repub-
Hcan, La Toilette Of Wisconsin, voted
for it. The roll call follows:
For the bill:
Democrats - Ashurst, Bankhead,
Beckham, Bryan, Chamberlain, Chill
ton, Culberson, Fletcher, Hitchcock,
Hughes, Husting, johnson (South Da-
kota). Kern, Lane, Lea (Tennessee)
Lee (Maryland), Lewis, Martin, Myers,
Newlands, Overman, Phelan, Pittman,
Pomerene, Ransdell, Reed, Robinson,
Salisbury, Sheppard, Shields, Sim
mons, Smith (Arizonal Smith mary
land), Smith (South Carolina), Swan
son, Taggart, Thomas, Thompson, Un.
derwood, Vardaman, Walsh and Will
liams- AZ.
Republicans - La Toilette. Total
43.
Against the bill:
Republicans Borah, Brady, Bran
dege, Clapp, Colt, Cummins, Curtis,
Dillingham;, Dupont, Gallinger, Gronna,
Jones, Kenyon, McCumber, Mclean,
Nelson, Norris, Oliver, Penrose, Sher-
man, Smith (Michigan), Smoot. Ster-
ling, Wadsworth, Warren and Weeks.
-26.
Democrats Clarke tArkansas) and
Hardwick -. Total %.
1. f1S.. 49, - - xar II