The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-09-04
Chief Executive Stops Over
at Capital While En- Route
to Kentucky to Make
Lincoln Address
DOUBTS EXPRESSED
ON LENGTH OF PEACE;
MEN ARE WATCHFUL
All Brotherhood Leaders Have Left
Washington or Are Preparing to
Leave-Railway Heads Also
Have Departed
Washington. September s.--The Adam.

Washington September 3.-The ADAM
son eight-hour day bill. exacted from
Congress last week. by the railroad
'herhoods as the price of calling off
! the nationwide Strike ordered for tomor-
row, was signed by President Wilson to-
day in his private car at the Union sta
ton, where he stopped on his way from
Shadow Lawn. N j., to Hodgensville,
Ky. That there may be no question as
to the legality of the measure as re-
suit of it having been signed on Sunday,
the president will affix his signature
again upon his return to Washington
next Tuesday.
How long peace shall reign as re-
suit of the bill apparently is dependent
upon developments in the proposed move
ment to test the constitutonality of the
act Should the railroads take no ac-
ton, but await the beginning of an in
vestigation of the workings of the eight
hour day by the special commission, for
which the measure provides, the brother
hoods will remain inactive. The employees
leaders declare, however, that should the
law be held unconstitutional and the rail-
on their lines a strike will follow
promptly.
CIRCULAR LETTER GOES OUT
Brotherhood heads. i'll a circular letter
to their members today, made no com
ment on the measure as passed They
merely pointed out that it would not
become effective until next January, and
that many things might occur between
now and then which would change ma
terially any suggestions or comment they
might make.
None of the brotherhood leaders wit
messed the signing of the bill. They had
expected, according to tentative arrange
ments made by Secretary Wilson last
night, to be present, but the President
decided to attend to the business at the
railroad station and newspaper correspon-
dents gave them their first information
about it. The four pens used by the
President in signing the bill-one for
each syllable of his name-will be pre-
scented to the four brotherhood heads,
A. B. Garretson, W. G. Lee. w. s. Carter
and w. S. Stone, after being used for
; resigning the bill Tuesday.
No ceremony attended the signing to-
day. 1t originally had been planned that
the President should go to the White
House, but this was changed and, in
stead, Rudolph Forster, assistant secre-
tary to the president. took the bill to the
train. Near the car window group of
trainmen In their overalls paused in their
work long enough to watch the President
write his name. An engineer, passing on
a yard engine, celebrated the occasion
with several prolonged blasts of his
whistle.
BUSY AT STATION
While at the station the President also
signed several commissions and executive
papers and sent Secretary Tumulty to the
home of Majority Leader Kern of the
Senate to urge that the Senate pass the
Webb bill, passed yesterday by the
House. designed to permit American
firms to utilize common selling agencies
abroad without violating the Sherman
antitrust law. INSISTS.
Later the President and Mrs. Wilson
took an automobile ride about the city.
During their absence the private car was
attached to a special train carrying guests
OF the Lincoln Farm association, bound
for Hodgenville. KY, to participate in the
exercises incident to the transfer Of the
log cabin in which Abraham Lincoln was
born to the federal government tomor-
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