The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1916-09-08

Oh amendments to the bill.
Debate on amendments began at
o'clock, Senator Underwood's pro-
posal to give the interstate commerce
commission authority to fix railway
wages and hours being taken up first.
Senator Underwood said the bill with
out his amendment was price of
peace without any attempt permanent
ly to solve the great questions in
volved. Senator Newlands also urged
adoption of the amendment
Senator Reed told the senate that
Chairman Adamson of the house COM
merce committee, had informed him it
would be impossible to pass the bill
before Monday with the Underwood
| amendment included, because there is
no quorum of the house in Washing
ton. Senator Reed opposed the
| amendment.
Cost to Railroads.
Railroad officials have declared thac
the action of congress will cost them
$60,00O,0O0 year in increased wages
to the trainment. Brotherhood of
ticials there has existed doubt as to
the constitutionality of the law, but
what steps, if any, may be taken to
test this, has not been indicated.
Quick action by the brotherhood
heads followed the action in the SEN
ate. No doubt existed in their minds
that President Wilson would sign the
bill as soon as it was handed to him.
The measure embraces virtually all of
the Presidents original proposals to
the employees and the railroad heads,
although it is only part of the legis-
lative program he took to congress
last Tuesday when his negotiations
had failed.
Issuance of the orders of cancella-
tion followed a meeting of the four
brotherhood heads and thirteen re-
manning members of their committee
of $40. Some opposition to acting be-
fore the President actually had affixed
his signature was evidenced in the
meeting, but in the end the seventeen
voted unanimously to call off the
strike Immediately.
Other senator's, chiefly Progressive
Republicans, among them Cummins,
Kenyon and Norris, said that labor
was getting bad bargain, "a brassy
gold brick "a "humbug" and that
they were conceding to congress the
right to legislate on the question of
wages, concession which in their
opinion the 100000 trainmen of the
organizations affected, would not ap-
prove if it should be put to them for
vote.
Ayerse to Amendments.
But champions of the Adamson bill
said in reply that to amend the bill
would mean that the strike would not
be stopped. They recalled to the SEN
ate the declarations of the brother
hood leaders that nothing would serve
to stay the strike order except the
passage and approval of the bill Civ
ing them the eight-hour day and the
proposed investigation.
Senator Reed, taking up the cudgels
for the brotherhoods in the closing
hour of debate, asserted that quo
rum of the house was not in Wash
ington; that it therefore would be i'm
possible to pass the bill if amended
in any particular, in time to avert
the strike on Monday.
The line of argument won the day
and not only prevented the adoption
of the Underwood amendment, but
also served to defeat an amendment
| by Senator Newlands to make inter-
ference with operation of railroad
trains a misdemeanor punishable by
fine and Imprisonment
Democrats Insisted.
The Democratic senator's mentioned
insisted that congress shoVid provide
as President Wilson had urged some
measure to prevent such crisis ever
from arising again. They declare con-
gress was showing the white feather,
that it was afraid to GO farther than
merely to prevent the threatened ca
tastrophe of the moment. They pro-
posed that the interstate commerce
commission should be given authority
in the future to fix the wages and
hours of serve of railroad employees,
thus forever taking the question of
labor disputes out of the strike danger
zone. They fought vainly to the last
against overwhelming odds.
Declares 1t Was Coercion.
| Republican senators and few of
the Democrats declared unhesitatingly
that congress was being coerced, die
tated to, driven under the gun of the
passage of the eight-hour bill without
any provision of permanent charac-
ter. Senator Borah asserted that the
railroad trainmen would not dare to
order the strike if congress should
abandon the bill and adopt resolu-
ton merely to provide for a thor
ough consideration of the whole sub
ject.