Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-08-26
PROSPECTS OLA STRIKE I
ARE MORE THREATENING
Railroads Continue to Insist on Ar.
bitration of an Eight-Hour.
Day Question. :
LEADERS OF MEN IMPATIENT
Claim They Are Not Getting Q
"Square DeaF' and That Employ.
ers Are Playing for Time to
Spread Propaganda. =;

Definite decision in the impend-
ing railroad strike will be reached
some time today, according to the
best judgment of a former federal
official who has been in close
touch with all the moves of the
mediation by the President and
who has sat in at number of the
conferences.
This opinion was indorsed by
Daniel Willard, president of the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad and
one of the select committee of
three who have been conferring
with the President. At 1890
o'clock President Willard left the
meeting of the executives and said
he could not say at what hour the
reply of the railroads would be
sent to the White House, but that
definite decision would be reached
today.
Situation Is Tense"
What the decision will be no
one cared to prophesy. That the
situation is tense" was admitted
on all sides.
Members of the general COM
mittee of $40 are packing up,
paying their hotel bills and pre-
pairing to go home, leaving au-
thority to call a strike in the
hands of the four big brotherhood
presidents.
President Still Is Hopeful.
President Wilson regards the rail-
road situation as serious, but has not
yet giver up hope OF settlement. He
will continue to use every effort to
bring both sides together.
Both to Visit White House.
Both parties to the controversy arc
to visit the White House today-the
railroad presidents to lay before tho
President their partial rejection of his
proposal and their counter proposition,
the brotherhood committee to hear
what the railroads propose.
Brotherhood leaders had received no
official advices regarding the railroad
presidents proposition when the regu-
lar daily meeting of the employees
committee convened at IL o'clock. The e
workmen's committee planned to re-
main in continuous session until they
heard from President Wilson, who had
promised them some word by noon.
No word in regard to the situation
having arrived, the employees meeting
adjourned shortly after noon until
o'clock Meanwhile the presidents OF
the four brotherhoods remained at their
hotel awaiting a summons from the
White House. They were without ofn-
cial knowledge of the railroad head6
position.
The four brotherhood heads went into
secret session before 10 o'clock this
morning to consider the unofficial re-
port of the railroads position. which
they had obtained from newspapers.
They had received no word from tho
White House and did not expect to
confer with the President, they said.
until after he had received a deloSA-
ton from the railroad executives.
Division Of Opinion. :.
Opinion was divided among tho en-.
ployes as to how the railroads proposal
would be received. None Of them thought
that II would be accepted without quAhh-
cation, and a large number Of them de-
clared that IL the railroads continue to
insist upon arbitration Of all questions.
including the efght-hour day. a strike
inevitably would follow.
The railway executives went into Sos
sion at 10 o'clock to take Tinal action on
the proposal they will submit to Presi-
dent Wilson. Since the executives de-
termined upon the nature OF their pro-.
posal and drafted their reply last night
the committee OF eight has gone over
and smoothed down the wording Of the
letter to the President In their meeting
this morning the railway executives were
expecting to approve the committees
final draft. which then will be submitted
to President Wilson.
The President is understood to be dis
appointed and rather aggrieved that his
efforts at mediation for two weeks havo
failed to win an agreement, es-
pecially since he feels that he has won
each side over to the main demands Of
the other, and that the railroads are now
making a demand upon him that he can
not meet. He notified the railroad chiefs =
last night that he wants q decision
reached before tonight.
Labor Leaders Impatient.
The four big brotherhood leaders, while
they appreciate that the President has
done all he could to bring about q set.
tlement, have told him plainly that:
they do not believe they can hold the :.
general committee OF $40 chatrmsn
after tonight. as these leaders feel that
they are not getting square deal~