Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-09-07
NO FEAR OF
8-HOUR ISSUE
Democrats Ready to Meet
Hughes if He Forces
Question
BUSINESS WAS SAVED
Leaders Assert Country Would Fave
Lost s6O,OOo,oOO Daily if Strike
Had Been Called.

Washington, Sept. democratic
leaders in Congress declared ycster-
day that they were ready to meet
Charles E. Hughes and his campaign
managers if they desired to make the
pight-hour day legislation the over
shadowing issue in the Presidential
cam, aign. The Democrats added that
they were not afraid to face the IS
sue and did not anticipate any un-
favorable verdict of the American
people on this question when once 1t
was clearly explained t. them.
The eight-hour day legislation, it Is
explained was pushed so hastily
through Congress primarily to avert
a strike of 100000 trainmcn OH the
railroads, which would not only have
brought to a standstill Americas
transportation system but won,5 have
brought paralysis to the Who, OF
American industrial life. Such a
strike, it is contended, would have
cost the American people $1,000
100000, and it was to avert these los
ses that the legislation was passed.
As to the principle of the eight-hour
day, The Democrats do not believe
Republicans will dare to attack It, as
il is low an accepted social condition
in all leading American industries.
Representative Carter lass, Ct
Virginia, co-author of TIE Federal
reserve banking system, has received
number of letters, some of which
criticized the legislation. In answer
t. these, Mr.. Glass told mis- CORES
por Tents that they did not appreciate
what enormous losses to ;.merc'.E
brsincss were averted by stol.. ;ns the
STRIFE
The loss by railroads a':nc, saii
Mr.. Glass in letter to q business
friend, would have been S8,0OO0O a
day, which in a week would have to.
tailed the amount of the wage increase
the eight hour cay would entail upon
the railroads for an entire year.
These figures, the Virginiaa said, ere
the railroads. In two months time,
added Mr.. Glass, and it was likely that
the strike, once called, would have
lasted that long, would have cost the
carriers sum equal to tn" agsra-
gate of the wage increase for 20
years.
But the railroads, Mr.. Glass vent
on to say, would not have been the
cnly sufferers. American business
generally would have been paralyZcd
Factories, he said, would flI. been
compelled 10 close down bertlia they
ccull not l,.ove their products t. the
markets; stores would have been COM
PEELED to curtail their bus. 'ess be-
cause they could not get warej, and
all lines of BUSINESS generally would
have been given q tren endous set
lick. These losses, Mr.. Glass said.
would live mounted into the millions,
far greater than the losses by the
railroads.
Representative T. w. Sims, of Ter
'nessce. a member of the Interstate
and Foreign Commerce Committee, in
discussing this question with his col
leagues in the committee, differed with
some of those who contended that
the eight-hour day would cost the
railroads $6O,OOO,OOO year.
"You forget" said Judge Sins,
"that strike on the railroads, tying
up all transportation facilities, would
mean loss of s60,0O0,0O0 a day TO
the American business man. tn: rail-
roads additional expenses of SG:,OrG,-
900 a year, if it cost them that sum,
is not a drop in the bucket, What ws
have to do is to avert strike which
will bring such widespread disaster
to American business, much less :iic
widespread suffering it vii, cause
thousands of people who cannot get
food supplies. The question, there
fore. is whether we shall r let tHe
American people lost s60,o00,90o a
day or increase the expenses of The
railroad s6O,OOO,0OO a year. The:.. is
only one answer, and that is to ave.!
the strike, and the only way in sight