Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-09-28
THE FORCED ISSUE.

The Chicago Herald, under the edi
tortal caption, THE Presidents Tao
tics" thus comments on the eight-hou
work day issue which Mr.. Hughes ha
injected into the campaign:
We get a definite idea of at least
part of the presidents program
from the Shadow Lawn speech.
He intends to make the eight
hour law issue" pressed on him
by his opponents, the ground for
the widest appeal to labor and hui
man sympathy of which he is ca
pable. Instead of remaining on
the defensive, by merely replying
to Mr.. Hughes specific criticisms,
he means to try to put the other
side in that position.
Under the presidents touch the
issue grows and broadens. 1t be-
comes no longer a question Of this
specific act but of the justice of
the "eight-hour day itself It
becomes even more. It finally re
solves itself into the question Of
the entire relationship Of labor
and capital. On It, as on a peg.
he hangs his definition of labor
It is no longer a commodity but
a form of cooperation. The great
problem of the future is to arrange
the relations OF labor and capital
not on the economic commodity"
basis, not on the legaltstic con
tTactuaI" view, but on the human
basis of men dealing with each
other with hearts under their
Jackets"
The logic of these tactics is
plain. Those opposing him on this
issue are TO be put in the posi-
ton of fighting against the eight
hour day itself" They are to be
implicitly charged with a disre-
gard of the fundamentally human
side Of the relations of workers
and employers. The specific crit
iCisms as to legislation under
duress. as TO the actuality of the
"eight-hour day" provided by the
law, as TO the effect of the set
Element on arbitration are to be
evaded as details Of the larger
question. In brief, the president
viii endeavOr TO put the republi-
cans in the attitude of opposing
all that makes for the advance
ment Of labor and the humanizing
Of its relation with employers.
Republicans probably will charge
that this means making labor
against capital the dominant dem
OCratic issue Of the campaign.
They may charge the president
with attempting 10 stir up class
hatred instead Of trying to ap-
pease it by the manner of his de
Tense Of the "eight-hOur law" At
any rate, they now have the spe-
cifiC terms on which President
Wilson IS willing to join issues.
These terms are plainly not those
of Mr. Hughes. 1t looks as if both
sides would have their own special
"eight-hour issue" and discuss it
from the standpoint that suits
them best.
There was no thought Of making
le eight-hour work day for railroad
-orkers a campaign issue until Mr.
.ughes came "slashing" into Illinois
-ith blow on blow" on the president s
quote the Chicago Trib-
ne-for the enactment Of the eight
our law as a means Of adiustm ent
? the then pending nationwide rail-
1HfA Ctl Inc LES RibE inc Idti AIldL lHH
w was passed with the aid Of re
lblican votes in congress and that
Cannon, who sat grin
ing back Of Mr. Hughes when he de
yered his blow on blow talk at
soria, was one Of those who voted
T the law, # did not become a cam
iign issue until Hughes by his IN
asonable attitude toward It. made
so.
If the president puts his opponent
the hole because of the lattef's
shness, the republican presidential
ndidate viii have no one to blame but
mself
In the meantime, in going out Of HIS
~ 10 find an issue, Mr.. Hughes has
own his true colors toward labor.
A HUMAN TAX LAW.
II isn't often that people feel called