The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-09-02
Editorial Comment
on Current Subjects
FEAR-MADE LAWS,
From the Baltimore News.

Aou luC odlIlLuOTc N6W6.
The Congress Of the United States
Is an institution Of democracy. 1t
represents neither one faction of the
people struggling against the oppres.
sion of another faction nor is 1t the
mainstay OF the whole people against
the oppression Of an autocracy. 1t is
popular body, the medium through
which the nation expects the orderly
passage Of orderly, well.considered
laws for the better government OF
the nation.
Now, a nationwide railroad strike
is threatened. Under threat of it,
with the strike orders already issued
and professedly beyond power of re.
call, congress is told by 100000 men
to pass O certain law increasing their
wages about 25 per cent. or let the
country bear the consequences of re.
fusal.
Entirely aside from the merits OF
this law, the political situation thus
created Is without precedent in this
country. That the merits of the pro.
posed law are disputable Is confessed
in the fact that one section OF it pro.
vides for post-facto investigation OF
the conditions 1t will create, and OF
the direction In which its conse.
quences shall be made to fall. and
that another section provides for q
second inquiry, this time into the
advisability Of vesting control OF
wages for railroad labor in some
government body, Congress, fore.
most Of all public bodies, having al.
ready ken that power to itself in
this instance.
Underneath all the discussion of
the rights of labor and social policy
appears now this issue; Shall the
Congress Of the United States submit
to the dictation of any individual
group Of citizens under threat Of the
precipitation Of national calamity?
Shall the nation submit to such a
threat? Would not the first principle
of democratic government be violat.
ed and irreparably injured by submis.
sion to it?
If an eight.hour law, absolute or
as a basis Of computation of wage,
Is desirable, the public wants that the
men should have 1t. If Tia expense
is one that may legitimately be put
on society. then society will be pre-.
pared to shoulder it. If tn, $780,.
100000 or so of this increase is later
to become s-50,00O,OO0. by the inclu.
sion under the law Of the so per cent.
Of railroad employees who are not
actually engaged In the operation OF
trains, and society must bear this
burden. too, It will be prepared to
do so.
But it has the right to look ahead !;
1t has the right to expect that the
representative body which 1t mas ere.
ated to serve as its lawmaking
agency shall look ahead, and that 1t
shall not pass laws Of disputed merit
and feel its duty of circumspection
fulfilled by the ~,ere creation Of com.
missions to study the amount of good
or harm these laws may do. Ger.
tainly 1t cannot affor! to suffer such
l-ws to b. passed simply because
one particular class OF labor points
pistol at its head and says, do 1t
or will fire!" Nor, merely to stay
the hand at the trigger and satisfy
still another small element, can It
afford, while submitting, to throw
out any chance and ill.considered
quiz pro quo to the latter.
There are things worse than
strikes; one is the passage Of legis.
lation under tho threat Of revolu.
ton. The country should be willing
to stand almost any hardship before
It consents to that,