The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1916-10-14

was rushed through both houses of
Congress and ready for the presi-
dents signature on Saturday after
noon. Without elaboration, with
out any investigation of the merits
of the case, the two great legislative
bodies of the greatest nation in the
world passed this important legisla-
ton at the request of the President
of the United States-why? Because
the labor unions that demanded it
threatened to strike on the follow
ing day il it were not passed. On
Thursday night the brotherhood
leaders said to President Wilson
We give you until Saturday to get
this through. If you don't do it you
will have to take the consequences"
Then, stop watch in hand they set
tied back in their easy chairs and
waited, while the President rushed
hither and thither like a frenzied
office boy to do their bidding, and
the Congressman of the greatest ma
ton in the world were herded like
sheep into their respective quarters
and told what they must do to avoid
the terrible sheep in wolves cloth
ing who waited outside with the
| stop watches. And so, to the great
surprise of the brotherhood that
had made the bluff, the government
of the United States sweat blood for
part of two days and got the bill
through in time to avoid the terri
bic calamity that threatened.
If our government had made any
such inglorious surrender to the
| demands Of any nation in the world
or any combination of nations, we
would have hung our heads In
shame. Individually we are not toe
| proud to fight. But collectively, as
d nation, during the past four years
we have shown ourselves the great
est collection of abject towards tina
the world has ever seen herded to
| gether. And the most cowardly act
the most inglorious surrender o
rights and duties that has occurred
in those four years was the passag,
of the Adamson bill.
Who had most to lose by gen
eral railroad strikes. The owners o
the railroads, OF course. Yet the,
were not afraid to face the issue
They were not stronger than tn
national government, only drawer
Who would be the second creates
losers by such a strike? The rail
road employees themselves. Ye
they were not afraid to force tn
issue. and who of the three partie
to this threatened strike would los
the least? Why you and |, OF cours
the people. We have infinitel
greater strength-and our los
would be far less. individually tina
\ theirs. Why should We have bee
\ afraid to fight 1t out? Why shout
we have been afraid to insist tina
the justice of the demands of tn
4 railroad brotherhoods be thorough
ly investigated before grantin
them?
Praise God, we were not afrait
I We managed TO live before railroad
We're invented and can live withou
them temporarily IL we have to.
Congress is supposed to be CON
A posed of two deliberative bodies
q Each of these bodies is supposed t
investigate thoroughly the merit
and dement's of all proposed legis
lation and to enact only such law
n as will stand the test of such al
investigation. To surrender thi
right of deliberate, careful investi
4 cation through fear of the threat
4 Of small body of voters, was tn
n act of towards. The government o
the United States of America allow
ed itself to be intimidated-no
. this time, by strong foreign nation