New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-25
A Pitiful Defence.

miscalled "eight hour" law is pitiful It's
sue of evasions. 1t could not well be any
thing else. Mr.. Wilson was inundated
and stanrpeded into surrendering to the
demands Of the four railroad brother
hoods. He felt that a strike-even an
abortive one-in the midst of the Presl-
DENTAL campaign would ruin his chances
of reelection. He submitted to the brother
hood "hold-up" as a matter of political
expediency.
Ever since then he has been trying
10 invent excuses with which to cover
ND two gross betrayals of public IN
terest: First, the abandonment Of the
principle of arbitrating wage disputes be-
tween interstate carriers and their en-
ployes, and, second, the abdication by
Congress, in which he concurred, Of the
right to legislate freely and on its own
responsibility, unhampered by forty-elgnt
hour ultimatums and other coercive meas
ures on the part of outside organizations
and agencies.
1t requires an expert sophlst 10 gloss
over so shameful a performance. Mr.. Will
son shows how hard put to he is when he
revives the shallow Misrepresentation that
the law with which peace was purchased
from the brotherhoods is an "eight-hour"
law. If the law had been a real eight
hour law, forbidding employment on rail-
roads for more than eight hours day, or
merely providing, in addition, that over
time work should be paid for at higher
rate than the regular eight-hour rate, 1t
would never have passed either branch Of
Congress. The brotherhoods would have
fought it. and undoubtedly killed it. What
they asked-and what they got-was not
prohibition on a longer days work than
eight hours. but the old ten-hour rate of
pay for a new eight-hour day. To them
the whole value of the act was in the
clause increasing wages.
Every intelligent man knows that the
cight-hour principle was not involved IN
the dispute, except in so far as it furnished
basis for an increase of wages. Yet Mr.
Wilson continues TO pursue distinction
which exists only in his own imagination
He said on Saturday: 81 saw at once that
there was one part of this 1.-THE disputel
which was arbitrable, but that, in my
opinion, there was another part that wa!
rot arbitrable. | do not regard the ques
ton of the principle of the eight-hour day
as arbitrable."
Nobody wanted TO arbitrate "the prnci
pie of the eight-hour day." The brother
hoods wanted wage increase and tn,
railroads did not want TO grant it so Ions
as they had no assurance that the Inter
state Commerce Commission would ALLOW
them TO raise their rates sufficiently t.
compensate them for an increased wag,
outlay. II was a wage and revenue con
troversy exclusively and should have beer
sent to the board which Congress has ere
ated TO represent it in regulating the
operation Of the interstate carriers.
II the new scale Of wages is just land Mr.
Wilson has admitted that he doesn't know
whether it is or mott, the Interstate Com
Y merce Commission is the proper body Il
4 give governmental sanction TO such find
ing, since II already exercises control ovel
the revenues Of the carriers and is logically
responsible for any adjustments of earning
power which may be necessary in order Il
meet an advance in wages.
Mr.. Wilson was afraid TO ask tn,
brotherhoods 70 submit their case TO tn,
Interstate Commerce Commission. H.
favored giving them what they wanted
and investigating the justice Of the aware
after it had already gone into effect. H.
knew that this was a cowardly course I,
follow. He knew that it lodged the rea
duty Of the government, which was TO pro
tect the community and TO secure the un
interrupted operation Of the railroads, no
by buying the good will of the railroad EN-
ployes, on the one hand, or Of the owner
and managers, on the other, but by MAXIM
them both recognize the superior powe
and interest Of the public which they serve
The President said on Saturday: 9TH
real thing 20 settle was what rights hat
the hundred million people Of the Unite
States. The business Of government is b
see that no other organization is as stron,
az itself, 10 zee that no body or group o.
men. no matter what their private interes