The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-08-29
WANTS SMALL BODY
OF MEN TO OBSERVE
EICHT-HOUR RESULTS
President Wilson Goes before Joint Session Of the Two Houses
oCOngeSs and Lays the Railroad Situation Of the Coun
ASKS CONGRESS TO PASS AN EGHT-AOUR LAW AT ONCE.
Declares That the Troubles between the Executives and Train
men Must Not Be Permitted to Interfere with or Weaken
the National Defense.
lBy Associated Press.)

WASHINGTON Aug 29-Predent Wilson laid the threat
ened railway strike before Congress today in address both
Houses assembled in Joint session He spoke in part follows
Gentlemen of the Congress- have to seek your
assistance in dealing with very grave situation which has arisen
out of the demands of the employees of the railroads engaged in
freight train service that they be granted eghhour working
day saeguard by payment for hour and half Of service
for every hour of work beyond the eight The matter has been
agtated for than year. and came three weeks ago to
final issue and resulted complete deadlock between the par
ties The provided by law for the mediation of the con-
roversy failed and the of arbitration for which the law
provides were rejected The representatives OF the railway eX
ecuves proposed that the demands Of the be submitted
their entirety arbitration along wh certain questions OF re-
adjustment pay and conditions OF employment Whch seemed
them be either closely associated with the demands or to
call for reconsideration their merits the men aoSouey
declined arbitration especially II any OF their eaosnea pTN
egeS were by that to be drawn again question: Inc
law in the matter put compuSon upon them
Friend of Both Sides
st as soon as it became evident that mediation under the
existing had failed and that arbitration had been rendered
impossible by the attitude Of the men, considered my duty to
confer with the representatives of both the railways and the
broherhoods myself offer mediation not an arbluator
but merely as spokesman for the nation in the interest OF JUSTICE
indeed and as friend of both parties but not judges only as
the representative OF lOOOOOOOO OF men, women ana cAoFeN
who would pay the price
at seemed me in considering the subject matters of the
controversy that the whole spirit Of the times and the preponder
ance of evidence of recent economic experiences spoke Tor the
eghhour day has been adudgd by the thought and eXpe
rence of recent years thing upon which society is usted
insisting the interest of health efficiency ntentment ana
general increase economic vgOr The whole presumption
of modern experience would it seemed to me- be IN us laVor
whether there arbitration not and the debataoe pontS
TO settle were those which out of the acceptance OF the
hor dav rather than those which affected its establishment
therefore proposed that the eghOur day be adopted W Ce
railway managers and put into practice for the present as SUB
o for tho npsen tenour basis; that should appoint with
the permission of the Congress- small commission 10 observe
the results of the change carefully studying the gureS OF e
altered operating cost only but also the conditions OF oI
under which the men and the operation OF their eg
agreement with the railroads with instructions toepoFt e lct
as they found them to the Congress the earliest poSSoe gay
but without and that after the facts had Oee
thus disclosed adjustment should some orderly manner oe