The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-08-15
Reported That He Has Been
Assured Brotherhoods Will
Arbitrate Main Questions
RESULT OF CONFERENCES
WILL BE KNOWN TO-DAY
Railroad Managers Said to
Feel That If Strike Is Avert
ed They viii Have to Make
All the Concessions

Washington. Aug. 14.--President
Wilson put squareiy up to the railroads
today the question of preventing a ma.
tion-wide strike.
The President held separate confer
ences with the representatives OF shs
brotherhoods and the representatives
or the railroads. 1t is understood to-
night that the labor leaders agreed 10
arbitrate their main contentious
namely, the eight-hour day and time
and a half pay for overtime. II II
said they refused to consider arbf-
tration of the railways counter-de-
mands.
The railway managers seem giur,
and respondent tonight They have
been closeted for hours in secret se5-
sion threshing out the situation.
The union men appear entirely. .atis-
fed. They seem more confident than
3M5tla-Hfa w
Presidenrs Statement.
Following his conference with tha
railway managers this afternoon. the
President authorized this statement:
4 have met both sides and have
gone over the case with the utsno il
frankness. / will not be able to Judge
until tomorrow whether we have found
a feasible basis of settlement
The President will meet both Of ths
opposing groups tomorrow morning.
The committee from the managers will
visit the White House at O'Clock.
When their conference Is over, the
union heads will meet the Chief Ex-
ecutive. &~-
The fact that the railway managers
will have their conference arst liz
taken here to mean that they will in-8
form the President whether they have
acceded to or refused Vis requests.
r Thu meeting held by the railway
managers following their visit to thu
White House was evidently Of great
est importance. The nineteen men ref,-
resenting 225 systems comprising
LOO railroads. locked themselves In
Immediately after the return to the
New willard.
They remained in the council from
<:i5 p. NJ. until Z o'clock, adjourning
only for dinner. They returned at s
N 81. ~ sufe Asltts Ass .s&aasat;.ss ssss u
late hour tonight. Secretaries were
running In and out of the room with
kilograms. Voices raised in heated
discussion could be plainly heard ia
the corridors.
It was said that the main point Of
discussion was whether or not the en-
tire question Of wages was or was not
OF hours. Most Of the managers have
taken this position In the previous
negotiations. A proposition to arbi-
trate the question of an eight hour
day. and vet to postpone the arbitra-
ton of the matter Of time and a half
pay for overtime. was said to meet
with strong dtsapproval.
Want Railroads to Yield All.
One railroad manager said tonight.
H. 80
the concessions viii have to be MAIDS
by the railroads"
This IL the railway point Of View.
On the other hand. the employees ap-
pear to have made concessions by
agreeing to arbitrate certain parts OF
the matters In dispute. They had said
they were unafterably opposed to such
action. But It IL asserted President
Wilson explained very fully TO the ens-
pioyes today the extreme power Of the
8 government In the event Of : great
strike. The presidents ret BY Preei&
dent Cleveland and Roosevelt were set
already familiar with the measures
tnken In those cases. were innuencsd
by their discussion today.
The economic disaster incident On
such = strike was strongly strsesea ~ ;
the President In his conference with
tho railway managers. He drove
homo this point. making Il the more
timely by emphasizing the country,s
present prosperity and its millions oe
dollars Of waiting freight.
Both employers and employees were
most reticent over what occurred AZ
the White House. Each said the INST
ter was in the hands Of the Presl -s
dent" and until he had dispossd *
It. there would be no commsnt. Dur
Ing the day there was some cptimtoA1
in the managers camp. But after tho
FIRST secret session at the New WIZ
lard Hotel. one man said the situation
was more "critical'' than Il had ever
been. The union men. however. toak /
an absolutely different view. ". !
Judge william Z Chaznhers, Of ~
Board. waa prominent n -
negotiations today He visited TIT
before either 81 tie dispu-
tants saw Mr.. Wilson. The mediator
was called In by the Preaident 1nes
ceeding each Of the two confereAcoG
He sat with the railway mAnagUrs NJ
their meeting this afternoon. IAka
today he. Justice BF2ndeis anA Aft1lS
ney General Gregory wsre IN eoa6
tation with the Fresidenk 81 sSsssS.
Delexaffsas neaeA vgannlane :. N n
The twenty-eieht brsthsrhooA
ers and the ninstesu railway
arrived In thu eitx - f:1o e'eteek m Il;
New willard ana the empaoysea ~ n re-
National eight biooks torthsr 4
Ayenue, M 4sf IA ri
4 Prest6ent Wl1soq. kcwevsT. 5( vi
seeing eatAeT bo1y, roaetxnA Jm191 ~
liam r.. CharA hesM a. ~ Maat1 A
l1e1tAtfen J146@ ChasHA e&S goGI& B
m hiAs HeNas I'M 4p Is! n