davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
WHY NO ARBITRATION?
Fight the Weak and Arbitrate
with the Strong.

1t is true that the railroad employees
engaged In engine and train service
have declined to submit their eight
hour demand to arbitration-on any
railroad or for any class of employees.
1t is just as true that the railroads Is
have refused to include in their pro-
posed arbitration seventy-five of the
smaller railroads where they believe
strike for the eight-hour day can
be defeated.
The railroads also have refused to
include the colored brakemen, fire.
men and hostlers in their arbitration,
because those railroads that employ
negroes have never recognized that
they had any rights In the matter.
And. on eighteen of the railroads on
which they propose to arbltrate the
eight hour day the railroads have re-
fused to include the white hostlers in
their arbitration.
The railroads refuse to arbitrate
wherever and whenever they feel
strong enough to defeat strike and
only insist upon arbitration where
they fear they cannot defeat the strike.
BY Just such methods. the railroads
plan TO deceive and cojolc the public
and at the same time defeat the de-
mands of their employees.
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
GETTING THEIR WIRES
CROSSED
Employees Demand Decrease
in Wages.

In their desperate effort to force a
railroad strike in the present eight
hour movement, those gentlemen upon
whose strategy the railroads depend to
secure one hundred million dollars per
annum in increased freight rates out
Of the strike. have presumably con
vinced the public that the demands OF
the employees are unjust and exorbi-
tant.
But, when the individual general
manager takes his own employees into
his confidence, overlooking the strate
gy of those in charge of the move
ment, he does not hesitate to show
his own men that the demands of the
employees mean an actual reduction In
their pay should their working time
be limited to eight hours.
For instance. the Staten Island Rail-
way, an auxiliary line to the Balti-
more G. Ohio, in fact its New York
City terminal. shows the following
rule in their wage agreement with
their firemen:
Ten hours or less shall consti-
tute day in all yard service.
The rate of pay shall be $3.50 per
day, overtime pro rata"
The language in all the wage sched-
ules is similar to the foregoing and
basing his statement on this rule, Mr.
W. H. Averell. General Manager Of the
Staten Island Railway Company. ad-
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
SPECIAL PRIVILEGES

special pSivilege granted TO rail-
road companies by the present Fed
eral Arbitration Law, known as the
Newlands Act. is that OF administer
ing any award reached in an arbitra-
tion. For instance, q railroad and its
employees may submit TO arbitration
under the Federal law q complicated
wage dispute. The award may be in
tended to benefit the employees but
Immediately, and almost invariably, the
railroad officials on that road inter
pret the award to mean a wage re-
duction instead OF a wage increase
and thus railway employees have been
educated to look upon arbitration as
gross injustice.
So long as operating officers Of the
railways are permitted to interpret
the language of an award to suit
themselves. compelling the employees
to accept such Interpretation with the
full knowledge that the board OF ar
bitrstion did not intend it's language
to be distorted. the employees are tusti-
fed in refusing arbitration.
Can you imagine one Of the parties
to a suit at law being permitted to
interpret the courts decision to the
extent of compelling the oher party
TO the suit TO accept such interpreta-
tion7
Experience has taught the employees
this; IL requires many months and
cIten years TO secure the enforcement
OF an award as intended by the ar
bitrators
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
Decrease

The reduction in costs on individual
railroads has in many instances been
much greater. The foregoing statement
clearly shows. however. that all classes
of transportation employees, because they
work harder and produce more. cost the
railroads less now than in former years.
The revenue gains made by "a repre-
sentative Western railroads because OF
increased labor and operating efficiency
during the period 1s9o-1913 were sufficient
to offset all added costs of operation,
whether arising from wages or other
items of operating expense, and still
leave a net gain in operating revenue of
q cents for each train mile operated
Transportation employees have had to
work harder through longer hours, have
had their responsibilities increased. have
produced more, have cost the railroads
less. and should have further partici-
patton in the fruits of their labor in
shorter hours or increased compensation
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
INCREASED WORK AND
PRODUCTIVE EFFICIENCY
Actual Labor Costs Have Been
Greatly Reduced.

During the period 1900 to 1915 the aver
age freight-train load increased 81 per
cent. AS result the railroads were en-
abled to move an increase of 104 per cent
In freight traffic with an advance Of
only % per cent in freight train miles.
These developments have been marked
by two-fold effect upon railroad trans
portation employees.
In the first place, their labOrs and re-
sponsibilities have greatly increased.
The engineer has found 1t necessary to
operate a larger and more complicated
piece of mechanism, and along with con-
ductors and tralnmen has had his duties
increased by the responsibility of look
ing after much longer and heavier trains.
The locomotive fireman has had more
arduous physical work to perform be-
cause OF the necessity of handling more
coal for each locomotive mile travelled.
In the second place. the productive ef-
fiCicncy. or the volume OF traffic handled
by engine and train employees, has been
greatly augmented. Measured on the
basis OF each $1,000 OF compensation
paid, freight engineers on "a representa-
tive Western railroads in 1913 handled %
per cent more ton miles than in 1890. and
freight firemen. for each SlOO0 paid them.
transported S per cent more freight traf~
hc in the year 1918 than in 1890. In the
year 1912 each freight fireman in Eastern
territory handled on an average - per
cent moro freight than in 1909. Informa-
tion submitted in arbitra ton proceedings
during 1918 also showed that train crews
transported according to roads from 10
TO g. per cent more freight in 1912 than
in 1902
This increased productivity OF trans
portation employees has been attended by
a decrease in costs to the railroad COM
panies in terms of wage payments for
each unit OF traffic handled Although
rates Of pay to employees may have risen.
because of the increased productive ef-
hciency Of railroad workers, the labor
costs to the railroads for transporting
freight has declined. Each 1000 tons
handled by representative Western rail-
roads in 1919 cost the companies in wages
to engineers and firemen 331 cents less
than in 1890 Taking all the railroads OF
tho United States one system. the
total labor cost of operation per 1,O0l
ton miles decreased from 1928 in 1926 to
s. N in 1914 The decreases In cost to
the railroads for the different classes of
employees for each 900 tons hauled one
mile was, during the same period. as
follows:
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
REASON FOR THE STRIKE
The Railroads Had No Coun-
ter Proposition.

The real and ultimate reason that
the present railway strike was deter.
mined upon was the refusal of the
railroads to accept the plan of settle
ment proposed by the President OF the
United States. When 1t became evil
dent that no adjustment could be
reached through the Federal Board
Of Mediation and Cancellation at New
York. President Wilson requested the
employees committee and the commit
tee OF managers to come to Washing
ton where 1t was his purpose to ac-
complish an agreement II possible
After conferences with representative,
of both the railroads and their en-
ployes, the President proposed the
following basis of settlement:
Concession of eight-hour day.
"Postponement of the other de-
mand. as to payment for over
time, and the counter suggestions
of the railway managers until
experience actually discloses the
consequences of the eight-hour
day.
"In the meantime, the constitu-
of a commission or body of men.
appointed by the President to OBJ
serve, investigate and report upon
those consequences, without rec
ommendstion.
Then such action upon the
facts as the parties to the pres
ent controversy may think best"
The foregoing plan of settlement
was submitted to the employees com.
mittee on August seventeenth and was
accepted by them the following day
and the President notified to that
effect.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
same proposition was submitted to this
presidents and general managers of the
railroads, they persistently declined tc
accept such proposition or to submit
a counter proposition which could be
considered by the employees committee
This condition existed from August
seventeenth until August twenty
seventh. during which ten-day period
the employees committee anNiously
awaited some counter proposition or
which a settlement could be based
Realizing that the managers were sim
ply utilizing the time to create a pub
lie opinion against President Wilson
and against the railway employees, by
soltcltlng ana paying Tor thousands Ol
kilograms from farmers. merchants
and manufacturers. the employees com
mittee adopted the following resOIu'
tlon on August twenty and
left for their respective homes:
The resolution to quit work
adopted by us. in accordance with
the vote of the members, at our
meeting In New York on the
thirteenth day of August, nineteen
sixteen, and the authority then
conferred upon our chief exeCu-
tives and the instruction to them
to fix the day and hour and to
transmit notice of the same to the
chairmen and then to the members
are hereby confirmed. approved and
re-enacted to take effect unless,
prior to the day and hour so fixed,
notice shall have been received
that the proposal Of the President
OF the United states. accepted by
us on the eighteenth day of
August, nineteen sixteen, has been
accepted by the representatives OF
the railroad companies"
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
THE IMPENDING RAILROAD STRIKE

dressed a communication to his EN-
ployes which had for its purpose tn
of each employe that th'
demands now made upon the railroad
would actually reduce their wages
and this Is the language quoted from
his communication:
while the requests which have
been made by the four organiza-
tiohs on the majority of the rail-
roads in the United states may, IL
granted, result in freight train,
engine and yard men receiving
each year the same or greater pay
than at present received, because
of the peculiar operating condi-
tons on Staten Island. 1t is abb
solutely certain that by far the
larger percentage Of the men
would. instead OF receiving more
money, actually receive less.
For example; A yard engineer
now working eleven hours at
forty-one cents an hour, receives
four dollars and ffty-one cents, or
assuming he works every day IN
the year, one thousand six hundred
and forty-five dollars and fifteen
cents. On the basis proposed by
you, this engineer would receive
ten hours pay at present rates, or
four dollars and ten cents, or one
thousand four hundred ninety-hve
dollars and fifty cents. This
means. therefore. that this engi-
neer would receive practically one
hundred fifty dollars less per year
than he Is now getting: the equiv
alent of nearly a month and a
quarter pay. The same thing
would be true to greater or
lesser extent of the pay of fire.
men. conductors and brakemen in
yard and freight service"
Just how the general manager o
the Staten Island Railway Compsn,
figures out a loss of one hundred fift,
dollars per year for every engineer OF
that road by the application OF the de
ma nds of employees. when the publiclt,
managers of the railroads are demon
strating that II Is necessary for In
crease In freight rates to compensat
them for the increased wages of on
hundred million dollars per year 1
only one of the many situations Il
which II is evident that some peopl
are getting their wires crossed.
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
PACKING THE JURY

In courts OF Justice Il has always been
considered unfair TO include on a jury.
persons who have been prejudiced, either
by personal knowledge or by runor, as
to the merits Of the case. The purpose
Of the railroads seems 70 have been. first
10 prejudice the public mind against their
employees ana then force an arbitration
Influenced by this prejudice.
The railroads have conducted q pub
licity campaign at an enormous expense
for the purpose Of producing a public
opinion % that the demands OF the en-
ployes for an eight hour day Is unjust
~ that the public Will be penslized TO
the extent Of one hundred million dollars
per year if the eight hour day is granted.
and C9 that no arbitration board should
award the eight hour day
In this effort to create a public opinion
against the demands Of railroad en-
ployes for an eight hour day. these rail-
roads have enlisted In their publicity
campaign nine great advertising sECn-
cies, who in turn have selected fourteen
thousand weekly newspapers and be
tween twenty-five hundred and three
thousand daily newspapers with which
to bias public opinion. In each Of these
newspapers a series OF large display sd-
vertisements have been published at an
enormous expense to the railroads. In
connection with these efforts hundreds,
IL not thousands OF editorials have been
published in connection Herewith carry
ing the same thought as the advertise
ments. These editorials have been pub
lished in pamphlet form and thereby
given greater publicity, thus demonstrat-
ing that 60 far as these seventeen thou
sand newspapers are concerned a public
opinion already has been created.
With the belief that the public mind
has been 50 prejudiced that fair srbi-
tration is impossible. these same rail-
roads, in concert with other employers
associations known as Chambers OF
Commerce now demand that the eight
hour day be arbitrsted.
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
MEN MUST HAVE EIGHT
HOUR DAY
Lack Of Rest a Menace to the
Public.

During the 1915 arbitration OF wages
OF engineers, firemen and hostlers, the
railroads presented names OF switch
engineers, one of whom earned sl72se
in 'twenty-six days" subsequent
investigation demonstrated that this
man worked an average Of fourteen
hours and eighteen minutes per day for
twenty-six days. an equivalent Of
forty-sir and one-hslf day. Of eight
hours each. This Investigation demon
strated that in order to make the
tl72.so he was not only paid for all
Of these hours that he actually work
ed. but s5.s5 In addition thereto as
twenty-sir penalties for working this
engineer fourteen hours and eighteen
minutes on each Of these twenty-six
days without at any time permitting
him TO stop TO eat
The same investigation proved that
to earn the sum OF 3l16.74 in twenty
eight days" a fireman worked an aver
age OF fourteen hours and eleven
minutes each and every one Of these
twenty-eisht days and with no stop to
eat on any day. This switch engine
fremsn's twenty-eisht days were
made up OF three hundred and ninety
seven hours, or an equivalent OF
forty-nire and five-eighths days of
eight hours each. An average of
ninety-nine and one-fourth hours per
week.
At this rate for twelve months thB
switch engine fireman would work the
equivalent OF FIVE hundred and ninety
FIVE and one-hslf days of eight hours
each. An employe in the building
trades In this same city Of Chicago
worked only forty-four hours a week.
or an equivalent Of two hundred and
eishty-sis days of eight hours each
during q year Thus this switch en-
gine fireman works as many hours In
one year as an employe in the build
ing industries works in two years
and one month.
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
MONTCLAIR YIELDS A RELIC.
Corn Grinder, Once Used by Indians
Found by scoutmaster.

Montclair. n. J., Aug. 2s-While walk
ing along Gordonhurst avenue here yes
terday Scoutmaster T. T. Dorman found
= corn grinder. a relic Of the days when
this section of New Jersey was populated
by the red men.
The grinder is a stone formed in the
shape of a calabash. 1t was worn smooth
by long use and its appearance indicated
that 1t might have seen service through
several generations Of Indians.
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
JAPANESE VISIT PETRoGRAD.
Big Delegation to Investigate Ru.
sia's Trade Conditions.

Petrogrsd, Aug. z.-The Japanese dele
cation which is TO investigate trade con-
ditions in Russia arrived here today.
It consists Of members OF chambers Of
commerce. university professors and mer-
chants, and was appointed as a sequence
to the conclusion Of the new RuSso-Jap-
snese treaty.
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29

Tho railroads have learned that by
the expenditure OF millions Of dollars
in publicity campaigns that an in
crease in freight and passenger rates
may be eXtorted from the Interstate
Commerce Commission and they eN-
pect by this same process TO defeat the
demand OF their employees for an
eight-hour day. but these sailrosd
employees absolutely refuse TO become
victims Of the railroads plans
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
Mexican Commission Starts.

Vera Cruz, Aug. 2s.-The Mexican COM
missioners who are going TO the United
States 10 confer with an American COM
mission in an effort to strengthen the de
fscto government boarded the Dixie this
morning The Dixie WAS scheduled 10
sail during the afternoon
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29

The extreme solicitude on the part
OF the railway presidents for the
eighty per cent, of unorganized en-
ployes' and their rights, when, in
fact. 1t is discharseable offense on
any of such employees to make an at
tempt to organize for the purpose of
bettering their wages or working
conditions, is amusing.
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29

Cupid has been playing havoc with the
force OF the overall factory in Butler, Pa.
The factory employs seventy-five to
eighty girls and women. In three months
twenty-seven girls have quit 10 set mar
Red
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
RAILROADS PAY LOWEST
WAGES

A true wage index is the rate per
hour. Let us compare the wages per
hour of railway employees in Chicago
switching districts with those of the
building trades in Chicago. Any other
city would do as well. Chicago COM
parisons are typical of them all. The
standard rates of wages per hour now
paid in Chicago are as follows:
BUILDING EMPLOYEES.
Bricklayers. portable and
hoisting engineers, inside
wiremen, plasterers, plumb
ers and gas-fitters. steam
filters. stonemasons. and
tile layers. ................i cents
Lathers and marble settlers. .71.9 cents
Carpenters. painters and
slate and tile roofers.....70 cents
Elevator constructors. s........6S.s cents
Structural iron workers.....6 cents
Composition roofers. .........65 cents
Laborers in tunnels, wells
and caissons. ...............57.6 cents
Laborers on windlas, trench
and scaffold work. .........50 cents
Plaster laborers. s..............50 cents
Composition roofer's helpers.45 cents
Elevator constructors helpers
and tile layer helpers. .43.S cents
Marble setter helpers. ....... .42.5 cents
Excavating laborers, hod car
riers and steam-fitter's
helpers 4U cents
RAILWAY EMPLOYEES.
Locomotive engineers in
Chicago railroad yards.42.5 to A cents
Switching foremen. 3s cents
Switchrnen .........., So cents
Locomotive firemen in
Chicago railroad yards"27 to 27.s cents
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29

1t is interesting to read the state
ment of an Eastern railroad president
that the entire country is in the
grasp Of the four executives of labor
unions" while II is a matter of COM
mon knowledge that he and three
others annually meet at a dinner in
New York and fx the price that the
public shall pay for Anthracite coal
for the ensuing twelve months.
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29

An arbitration Is no less compulsory
when employees are compelled to sub
init to an arbitration thus exacted
than IL enforced by statutory law. A
man hanged by a mob is just as dead
J. as If hanged by the sheriff
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
RAILROAD PROSPERITY

During the past year the railroads
have enjoyed great prosperity. Ac-
cording to statistics just issued by
the Interstate Commerce Commission
for the fiscal year. 1916, 155 large
roads, representing more than 90 per
cent of the mileage of the country,
showed gains in gross operating rev.
enues over last year of s445,7O2.634.
Net operating revenues in 1915 were
s27s,361,S24 more than in the pre-
ceding year. The gain in net revenue
in 1915 over 1915 according to op
Grating districts was, in round num-
bers. as follows:
Eastern District ..'.... s13e, 900. 900
Southern District .... 42,600.o00
ann
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
RAILWAY EMPLOYEES

omotive engineers in
The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
KIDDING THE PUBLIC
Railroads Arbitrate Only
Where They Fear to Fight.

Presumably every man, woman and
cEild who has recently read the news
papers understands that the railroads
honestly and earnestly advocate arbi-
tration in all wages matters. The
Washington Post of Sunday. August
20. quotes one OF the railroad presi-
dents as saying:
Arbitration for the settlement
of the demands of about three
hundred and nifty thousand men
upon the railroads has been denied
tby the employees committee.) The
health, happiness. prosperity and
lives OF the American people are
in Jeopardy because Of this ref,sal
to use the method of settlement
found satisfactory in great inter
national disputes"
And, at the very same time that
this railroad president was masquerad-
ing as a devout worshiper at the ar
oitration shrine. the railroads col
lectively positively refused to arbi-
trste the eisht-hour day on many
railroads and for many employees al
is shown in the following statements
The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-11-22
Annual Meeting of Civic League.

The November meeting of the Civic
League took place on Monday after
noon. This being the annual meet
ing,. reports Of the years work were
made: These reports were most
gratifying, showing the league to be
ncw fifth in size Of all the clubs in
The State with a membership of 80.
The attendance on the meetings has
been very good with IL great deal of
interest on the part OF those present.
The work both at home and in con-
1ectlon with the State Fclcration has
oeen carried on as usual, especially
good work being done by the school
%round and entertainments commit
ices. The treasury is in COOL condi
Ilon with balance on hand of $3.50.
These reports having been made.
election Of officers was entered into,
rhich resulted as follows: President.
Mrs. 7: 81. Mouzon; see. an treas,
N1s: Abe Levi; first v-yres., Mrs. W..
=. King: second v-nres.. Mrs. !. D.
.,erald; third v-prcs., Mrs. w. F..
jroWn;, fonrth v-pres., Miss Matte
Gaiilard.
Mrs. Smklcr Walker was elected TO
membership. The lease eltenGs a
welcome to Mrs. Walker AMI hopcs
to have her present at the meetings,
The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1916-11-22

is done under the protection Of a ma
no3poly and this is the reason the legls
lslature very wisely gave the Rail.l
road Commission the power to su-
pervlse telephone rates. ,E:8
they now ask the commission ~,
allow them to raise their rates and
TO charge tolls to the other towns in
the same system, and ! take the re-
sponslbility of making the positive
statement that they are not entitled
to do either. :.
If the money involved in the pr6S
posed raise was to go to the oyefa,
worked operators and the local line-S
man it would be different, but it is,
to satisfy the greed of large non-s
resident stockholders, as the small
local stockholders are we'll pleasSEf
with that 25 per cent they are gS,s
ting under present rates. @
Rev. McCord sounded the keynote
at the meeting when he announced
his determination to give up his
phone if the rates are raised, and if
they are raised, no matter by whose
authority, united boycott is 80
order. They will not pay any atten&
ton to one or dozen, but if some.S
thing like a hundred are cut out.
they will sit up and take notice. 4
j. +. Geioer. IE