The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-09-02
Fight Of Railway Brotherhoods
Paves wsy For Adoption
Of This Principle. =
ACTION OF PRESIDENT
WILSON BACKS PLAN
Governments Attiture Marks
Most Dramatic Labor ~Epi-
.sode In History.
By DANTE BARTON.

NEW YORK, Sept. 2.-The most
dramatic incident in the annals Of
labor unfonism in America was when
the chiefs of the four railroad brother
hoods and $40 other executives Of the
railway employees Of the whole United
States met with the President OF the
United States for the settlement of
the demand for the eight-hour day.
The climax. to that incident came
when the President of the United
States announced the principle for
which trade unionism has fought
that the eight-hour day is not a SUBJ
ject of arbitration: that the eight
hour day is fundamentally right and
a necessary part of the economic and
industrial law Of the United States.
The President pronounced ''the law
higher than the Constitution" when he
thus declared the extra-legal jude-
meqt Of the whole people of the
United States.
The solidarity Of the labor move
ment was illustrated in this great
fight of the railway workers for the
eight-hour day as it never has been
before. Back of the absolutely united
demands of the railway operatives
were the solid ranks of the millions
of other organized workers of the
United States, represented by the head
of the American Federation of La
Dor, Samuel Gompers.
Striking Contrast.
That great exhibition of the power
of organized labor standing solidly
together was equalled by the exhibi-
ton Of weakness Of the men who NOM
inally control the railways as town.
ers.' First the managers who were
called before the President, and then
the presidents of the railroads who
appeared before the public's. chief ex-
ecutive, proved their utter dependence
upon the few .financiers who have
no interest in the railroad business
except to, make profits out OF. it 4ntl
to manipulate stocks and bonds. .-s4e- -
- Another result OF tremendous sag--
"nificanco was to- prove what q sham
and what hypocritical thing 'ar-
bitration" is, as the railway owners
use that phrase. At the same time
that they were demanding arbitration
Of the eight-hour principle, their
chief spokesman were saying that the
eight-hour principle could not work
and would ruin any road that installed
it;-this in face Of the fact~tha many
roads have installed it without ruin,
and in face Of the fact that many of
the roads that have not installed it
have been wrecked by financial mis-
deeds. But where these railway man.
ayers, and presidents gave their hand
away was the proof they gave that
they had nothing to fear from arbitra-
tion-that IL they got their usual ar
bitration'' they felt absolutely assured
that they would not have to put in
an eightalour day.
The attitude Of these men who
nominally control the vital transpor-
tation business Of the United States. is
that they are the strikers" striking
not for principle, striking not for the
the betterment Of the railway busi-
ness or for those engaged in the rail-
way industry, but striking for the per-
sonal interests opposed to public well
fare and to the industrial justice due
the men who run the trains.
Hypocrisy of Owners
The use of coercive power to get
and underpaid railway
workers to protest against the rightful
demands of the organized railway
workers was another spectacle that
proved to tho conscience of the ma
ton the essential right aud necessity
Coatinued on Psge ;.