The Washington herald., 1916-08-29
CLASS QUESTION NOT AR.
BITRABLE
A Mans Religion Should Not
Be Arbitrated.

The number Of hours that an employe
In any industry is required to perform
labor within a twenty-four hour period
is a class question. Concerning all class
questions there are differences of opin-
ion.
1t REQUIRES no course OF reasoning to
convince any working man that a reduc-
ton of hours of labor performed in any
twenty-four hour period from ten to
eight is economically correct.
A vast majority of the people who have
invested their ca pital In an industry that
requires the employment of other people
In order that the industry may be prof
liable to the investor. are fully convinced
that the reduction of hours of employees
from ten to eight is economically wrong.
In an engineers arbitration they
found the neutral arbitrator to be re-
tired railroad attorney-afflicted with old
age, bad digestion and acute prejudice
to such an extent that he did not attempt
to conceal his antipathy to the engi-
neers. The railroads representative in
this arbitration was so much fairer than
the neutral arbitrator that he conceded
more than the so-called neutral arbitra-
tor wanted to give.
In an arbitration of matters concerning
conductors and trainmen ex-office hold
ers, or lame ducks" rendered a decision
that made the victims say, as though
they meant II, Never again"
In the last arbitration of wages and
working conditions of western engineers,
firemen and hostlers the board was DOM
mated by a man who, as director or trus-
tee. was directly concerned in the result
of the award Aside from many millions
of dollars of other railroad holdings.
much of which would be affected by the
award. he was director Of a trust COM
pany th,t owned one block of approxi-
mately s12, 800 900 of first mortgage bonds
of one of the railroads. parties to the
arbitration. When his railway financial
connections were discovered and Official
protest made against his continuance on
the board The employees were officially
advised that while it had not been known
that he was thus connected "knowl-
edge Of that fact would have been favor
able rather than otherwise to his ap-
pointment" and that nothing has been
brought to our knowledge since his an
pointment as an arbitrator which in our
opinion disqualifies him as an arbitrator. -
But, ignoring past experiences, let US
presume that there was an arbitration of
the eight-hour demand of railway en-
ployes and that In picking the jury
every effort was made to appoint neu-
trails entirely free of prejudice, II the
mental attitude of the men appointed is
favorable to railway employees at the
time of their appointment 1t is a two-to-
one chance that the employees will win.
II the neutrals' past environment has
been such that 1t would require much
evidence to convince them of the jus-
tlce OF the mems demands, no eight
hour day would be awarded. If the
President of the American Federstio of
Labor is selected as neutral arbitrator,
he will with perfect honesty and SINGER
ity award railroad men the eight-hour
day. II a president director or an at
torney Of some great employing corpora
ton Is appointed, with just as much
honesty oil purpose, he will deny the
eight-hour day