Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-31

| while the rest got nap 1t would be all
right"
Garretson served notice that the brother
| hood opposition to legislation like the
Canadian disputes act is unswerVing.
| mo influence can change our position on
| this" ho said.
The railroads. Garretson said, have
| made only one definite settlement pro-
| posal-to shift the whole question to the
| Interstate Commerce Commission or to
| submit to arbitration. He said the
| brotherhoods do not oppose the principle
of arbitration, but do oppose 1t under its APP
plication to recent cases where he said,
the roads have done their own interpreting
of awards.
Our men are human" he continued
They are men who hourly are face to
face with the death angel"
They are exposed to the inclemency of
the elements, the very nature of their work
makes them hard-headed and resentful of
injustice. 1t is a business where towards
quit and weaklngs die"
Reviewing President wilson's legislative
program. Garretson reiterated the men
were willing to waive part of their OPP
position He also emphasized his objection
to any compulsory arbitration law and to
legislation similar to the Canadian disputes
act He gave instances where, he said,
the Canadian act had operated against the
men.
GoMPERs TESTIFIES
Samuel Gompers. president of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor, followed Mr..
Garretson before the committee. He de-
clared the Executive Council of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor had decided to
back up the demands of the railway
brotherhoods for an eight-hour day, and In
opposition to compulsory arbitration of in
dustrial disputes.
I'VE contend that If employers have the
right to discharge worker for any cause
ot oil prf for pp snid
"the workers shall not be deprived by law
or otherwise of the right to quit"
Conscription in time of peace, Mr.. Comp
ers said, to force the men to run the rail-
ways. is repugnant to every idea of Amer
icanism.
Making it criminal for men to quit work
in concert, as one of the bills provides,
would never work out, Mr., Gompers said
LEE URGES EIGHT HOURS.
w. G. Lee, president of the Brotherhood
of Railway Trainmen, followed Gompers.
He outlined in detail the demands of the
men and the negotiations up to date, fol-
lowing the lines of argument already COW
cred by Garretson.
The only means of preventing the strike
Monday, Mr. Lee told the committee, would
be acceptance by the railroads of the pro-
posal made by President Wilson or pass
age of the proposed eight-hour act before
the close of the workday Saturday. In no
other way can the catastrophe be avoided,
he told the committee fatty.
RAILROADS OPEN CASE.
Judge r. S. Lovett chairman of the board
of the Union Pacific. opened the case for the
railroads. He declared that the controversy
was not merely between the railroads and
their employees. but that the public itself
was now party.
The railroads are now owned by great
numbers of investors" he said, many of
them are small in vestors. Bankers do not
buy railroad securities to keep. they buy
them to sell. The bankers have not at
tempted to influence the railway executives
in this controversy. Speaking for myself,
have received one letter from a banker
and that urged that accept the Presidents
proposal, as the easiest means TO end this
trouble. I disagreed with him"
Judge Love:t declared that whatever ex-
pense was saddled on the railroads by
legislation or otherwise, ''the public must
pay the bill"
OPPOSES SHORTER DAY.
Acceptance OF the eight-hour-day prop
ositon means an expenditure of $780,
900, ,00O." Judge Lovett said. That means
the interest at per cent on $3.50, ,000, 900.
And that is only the cost of the eight-hour
day.
'If. under the menace now before the
country, Congress decides to surrender to
these four men and place this $60, ,000, 900
of additional cost on the commerce of the
country without investigation, that is the
affair of Congress There are some railE
roads in this country which will be forced
into bankruptcy without extraordinary cur
tailment in their operations. Most of the
roads will survive, but many of them will
not, unless they are given early relief in
the form of increased rates. believe there
should be some investigation before this is
done"