The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-07-31

reserve system, the rural credits act,
the federal trade commission and
other measures of far-reaching bene-
fit to the people?
AS for the Mexican problem, the
great majority of men, irrespective of
party affiliation, are manifestly will
| ing to leave it's solution to the Wilson
administration.
Mr.. Hughes has proved himself TO
be past master in the gentle art of
pussy-footing. But how long can he
carry on a campaign along pussy
foot lines? The public will want some
thing besides glittering generalities..
Mr.. Hughes is up against a hard
proposition and it will look harder and
harder as the canvass progresses.
vATILL the freight traffic of the
w United States be tied up to-
morrow? That is the gravest ques-
ton affecting the public today. Rep
resentatives of the railways and the
officials of the four organizations Of
trainmen, including the Brotherhood
of Locomotive En-
Railroads and gineers, began hold
the Trainmen ing conferences sew
eral months ago,
and at the long sittings the demands
for an eight-hour day with time and
half pay for overtime were dis
cussed from every angle.
The carriers contended that any
concession on their part would mean
a heavy loss to the companies. They
stressed two points-that they were
already paying high wages and that
when business was depressed and
many of the transportation lines were
operating at a loss the pay Of the
trainmen was not reduced.
| The conferences were conducted in
business-like manner and the ut
most frankness characterized the atti-
| tude of both sides.
The railroads refusing to grant the
demands of the trainmen, the next
step was a canvass of the members of
the locals" throughout the country
Each trainman was called upon to
vote on the question of "strike" or
mo strike" August being fixed
upon as the time for final action.
The result of the balloting is known
to be overwhelmingly in favor of a
strike. The chairmen of the respect
i've brotherhood committees have the
authority to override the action of the
men. They may have one more con-
ference with the railroad managers,
but if so it will be brief. The latter,
in announcing their determination to
stand firm in rejecting the demands,
left the matter up to the organiza-
tions. While there is a bare posi-
bility that the carriers will recede
from their position, the probability is
the other way. It will then be for
the official leaders of the trainmen
to say "walk out" or "w evil wait
for a more propitious time" When
the ballotting began the railroads
were crowded with traffic and were
showing increased earnings. Since
then the floods came and all the roads
operating in the south have sustained
heavy losses and traffic conditions
will not be normal again for several
months to come. A tie-up will paral-
ize business everywhere. Every bust
ness man and every consumer will
| feel it.
Tomorrow will be fateful day, but
many people are still hopeful that
something may be done to avert the
calamity of a nationwide trainmen's
strike.
4 FEW weeks ago many people
n criticized the war department
for not making more rapid progress in
mobilizing the National Guard, but
any intelligent, fair-minded man, even
| if he were disposed to criticize, must,
in looking back, admit that the militia
called to the
National Guard and colors for serv-
the Trouble Makers ice on the Mexi-
can border were
we'll handled and were transported to
the front or to concentration camps
in remarkably short time, all things
considered.
When the matter of mobilization
ceased to be a subject for criticism
fault-finders, many of them opponents
of the democratic administration, be-
gan to circulate false reports about
sanitary conditions. Some ill-disposed