The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-09-01
ADMINISTRATION EXPECTS STRIKE
; TO Be CALLED Off BEFORE SUNDAY
brotherhood heads to call off
the strike set for 7 o'clock
Monday morning.

the strike set for 7 o'clock
Monday morning.
was almost Immediately taken until /
p. m. to permit the interstate commerce
committee to continue its work of
drafting the strike prevention legis-
lation and to permit Republican mem
bers to confer on the proposed bills
President Wilson spent almost an
, bers and then returned to the White
House. Definite abandonment of the
plan to attach the railroad strike legis-
lation to the pending bill to enlarge
the interstate commerce commission
was agreed to by the senate commit
tee.
The President explained his presence
at the capitol by saying; 81 am Just
keeping the threads together
A. B. Garretson, spokesman for the
railroad brotherhoods, held brief
conference with President Wilson to-
day. The President kept the cabinet
waiting while he talked with Mr.. Gar
retson. White House officials said Mr..
Garretson called to give the President
some information
Mr.. Garretson refused to say whether
he discussed the calling off of the
strike. There was every indication,
however, that the administration ex-
pected the strike to be called off before
Sunday morning.
Republican senators in conference
today decided to draft legislation of
their own to offer as a substitute for
that proposed by the Democrats to
avert the threatened railroad strike,
with provision authorizing the inter
state commerce commission to fix
schedules of wages of railroads. The
senate interstate commerce committee
today favorably reported the eight hour
bill.
The Adamson bill was reported IA
vorably by the house interstate com
merce committee which amended il to
make the eight-hour provision effective
Jan. next instead of Dee l, so as to
exempt electric railways. The bill was
Immediately reported to the house.
Meantime the rules committee held a
meeting and favorably reported the
| Kitchen rules providing for two hours
of general debate on the bill and a
vote on the bill and any amendments in
the house at 4.30 clock this afternoon.
Bills to avert the railway strike were
put on their way to passage today in
both houses of congress under special
rule providing for a vote not later than
4.30 this afternoon.
The house took up the Adamson eight
hour day bill, approved by President
Wilson and accepted by brotherhood
leaders as satisfactory settlement. -
The senate interstate commerce com
mittee reported a similar bill which,
however, contains an important provi-
SION empowering the interstate com
mercc commission to fix schedules of
wages on interstate railways. 1t pro-
vldes that the eight-hour day shall be-
come effective Jan. l, 1917; that the
present pay for the 10-hour dav shall
apply to the shorter day; that over
time shall be paid pro rata, but adds
that within not less than six and not
more than II months after its passage
the interstate commerce commission
shall assume jurisdiction of the question
of hours and wages and that they shall
be subject to petitions for change from
either the employers, the employees or
the public. ltyu
The possibility for hitch seemed to
be in this added provision which. is being
studied by the brotherhood leaders
Speaking in the house Representative
Gillctt, Republican, Of Massachusetts
said: "One hour OF Cleveland or Roose
welt would have ended this trouble" Rep
rcscntative Dewalt, Democrat of Pennsyl
vania, declared "No man could have done
] more to adjust the trouble without legis
: latlon than President Wilson"