New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-04
Pauses Only Three
Hours in Capital on
Way to Kentucky.
NO CEREMONY
INDUCED IN
Senator Penrose Gets
Chief Credit for Passage
of Famous Measure.

IFrom a stan Correspondent n IN. Trisunel
Washington, Sept. 3.-The emergency
eight-hour bill, passed by Congress un.
der duress in order 10 avert the rail-
road strike that had been set for to-
morrow morning, is now law. Presi-
dent Wilson signed it early this morn
ing in the drawing room of his private
car at the Union Station.
Meanwhile, ten thousand curious
messages in weird code had been
scattered throughout the country tell
ing every brotherhood trainman the
fight had been won. A few minutes
after the President had written "Ap-
proved, Sept. 3, 1916,' at the end Of
the important document, at 9:S5
o'clock, Rudolph Forster, the executive
clerk at the White House, telephoned
the news to Austin B. Garretson, the
union spokesman. 1t was all over then
but the shouting, and locomotive engi-
neers. firemen, conductors and train
men are not wont TO indulge in much
of that.
Penrose Gets the Credit.
II is interesting to note, though, now
that the country has been rescued-in
the nick of time, some might say
that the one man who had perhaps a
larger share than any other in making
possible the passage of the bill in time
to avert the threatened strike was Sem
ator Boies Penrose, OF Pennsylvania.
Senator Penrosc voted against the bill
with the rest OF the Republicans in
the upper house, excepting senator La
Toilette, but 1t was Senator fenrose
who, by skilful party management ana
discreet diplomacy, prevented any M
clustering that probably would nave
DELAYED the vote until 1T was TOO late
to stop the strike.
Another feature of the final stages
of the controversy that was overlooked
in the excitement of the last ie" Gays
was the fact that the railroads lost
moro nv the enactment of the law by
Congress than they would have lost oy
accentinr the original settlement pro
nosal advanced by President wilson.
How much this will mean In money ~
is difficult to estimate, but 1T can De
readiIv seen that it amounts TO con
siderable when IL is understood that
thousands of employees not considered
bv the Presidents plan are included
under the new law.
Other Employees TO Organize.
Railroad officials and union chiefs
realize. Furthermore, that one OF the
most certain effects of yesterdays ac-
tion bv Congress will be concerted
movement on the part of one million
and a quarter railroad employees who
are not members of the four great
brotherhoods to organize 10 De'tei
themselves. Austin b. Garretson Sald
to-day that it might as well De real
lied now as ever that events OF the
last few weeks cannot mean anything
else but that these other employees VIII
have received powerful incentive 10
pattern after their organized fellows.
President Wilson acted to make tne
eight-hour bill a law on scheduled
time. The train bearing his private
car Federal from Philadelphia, on MS
return from the notification cere-
monies at Shadow Lawn yesterday
rolled into the Union station at ':lo.
The President was due to leave again
three hours later for a speaking en-
gagement at Hodgenville. NY, where
he accepted, on behalf OF the govern
ment, the humble birthplace of Abra,,
ham Lincoln. Consequently he elected
not to return to the White House for
that brief time, and had the bill
brought to the car by Mr.. Forster.
Signing a Simple Affair.
The signing Of this momentous piece
Of legislation, the passage Of which
had caused mental anguish to more
than a few seasoned legislators, was a
simple, unceremonious affair. The only
Continued on page 3. column