The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-08-25
A QUESTION OF CONCESSION

I OF the railroads ana the general COM
mittee representing the railroad en-
ployes in the latter's demand for IAN
eight-hour day and time and half
for overtime" and that a nationwide
strike such as is threatened was i'm
minent, requested conference with
both sides in the hope of ayerting
calamity that would paralyze all bus
mess, stop the wheels of industry and
bring hardship and suffering upon the
whole country. He recommended the
concession on the part of the railroads
of the eight-hour day, because he
"believed the concession was right
and that the eight-hour day now I'M
doubtedly has the sanction of the
judgment of society in its favor" and
shat the demand for extra pay for
overtime be postponed until facts shall
have taken the place of calculation
and forecast with regard to the eff
fects of a change to the eight-hour
day"
The general committee of employees
accepted the Presidents recommended
ton, but the representatives of the
roads rejected it. Then the Pres
ident called in the presidents of the
railroad systems. They likewise re-
fused to such an agreement. They in
sisted upon arbitrating the whole
matter, although the President point
ed out to them the impracticability of
arbitration when there was no law for
compulsory arbitration, and hence no
arbitrative ruling would be binding on
either side. 1t would prove abortive
so far as the employees were con-
cerned, as they had refused to sub
nit their cause to arbitration. The
President appealed indirectly to their
patriotism, pointing out to them the
disastrous effects of national rail-
road strike at this time, and the eff
feet it would have upon the country
in gripping our great national re-
sources when every ounce of Ameri-
can energy would have to be mobil-
lied to meet the extraordinary situa-
ton that win Immediately emerge out
of the European war"
The railroads, however, declare that
they would be conceding the principle
of arbitration to concede the eight
hour day to their employees, and that
to do this without arbitration sis in
conceivable in democracy like ours"
But how any princinple of arbitration
would be violated or weakened is not
easily comprehended. There may be
principle in arbitration, but arbi-.
tration without any law or force be-
hind it to make it effective is bar
rem ideality. And that it lis neon
ceivable in a democracy like ours" for
the railroads to concede without ar
bitration an eight-hour day to their
employees, is the barest subterfuge.
The whole trend of public thought for
years, as labor-saving machinery is
continually taking the place of manu-
al labor, has been toward the eight
hour day and emancipation from the
old long labor hours. Other indus
tries have made this concession to la
Dor and the Federal Government has
made it to all its employees without
violating any principle of arbitration
or the spirit of democracy, and the
railroads may as well come to it now
as later, for like human slavery the
old hours of toilsome slavedom are
doomed.
1t was on the basis Of the large adj
ditional burden in operating expenses
that the railroads first informed the
public through their press agents
that they could not grant the demand
of their employees for shorter hours
and extra pay for overtime. One hum
bred million dollars annually they
claimed would be added to their OPP
Grating expenses. But now, when the
proposition is put up to them to con-
cede the eight-hour day, and that the
question Of overtime pay be postponed
for adjustment by arbitration or
otherwise, until facts shall have taken
the place of calculation or guess work
as to the additional expense and the
means Of providing for it, the rail-
roads fall back on the subterfuge that
they would be giving up a principle
of arbitration, and that such thing
SIS inconceivable in democracy like
ours showing after all that it is the
principle Of an eight-hor day that
they oppose, AS the old slave owner
wanted 10 hold on to his human Slaves.
50 the railroads want I'd held on to
that slayish two hours that they have
50 long exactEd.