The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-08-22
BIG RAILROADS :
BEGIN TO YIELD
Present Prospects Are That
Roads Will Listen to Presi-
dent Wilson'S Appeal
For Peace.
READY TO TALK TRADES
Belief Grows That the Roads VIII
Yield In the End and Great
Strike Will be
Averted.
READY TO TALK TRADES
lBy Robert ]. Bender, United Press
STAFF CorreSnondent 4

IBy Robert ]. Bender, United Press
Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Aug. 22- The
question of strike or no strike today
was In the hands Of the "big barons"
of the railway world. A limited num-
Der Of the heads Of the country's big
gest systems had taken charge of
the situation over night
Their answer. it appeared, was to
be the final answer to President VIII
sons proposal and personal appeal
for prevention of the most para1yzing
transportation tie-up in thu history of
the nation. They were 10 meet one
way or the other, the presidents dec
laration that the country's Industrial
future rested in their hands. In
secret conference at the Metropolitan
club last night, small number of
the "big barons" of the railway
worlds, representing 10000 miles of
track and $2,000.00O,000 OF capital de-
termined on course of action. They
were to place it before their fellow
executives for ratification at a con-
ference this morning. Opinion pre-
walls that peaceful adjustment Of
the threatened commerce-crisis would
be affected.
The roads are dying hard, however.
They will not yield. 1t was declared
today unless they can trade with the
/, president and gain some offsetting
advantages, "some adequate compen-
sati0n" for accepting what they re-
gard as "a revolutionary change" in
the eight hour day.
But the very fact that many Of the
small road chiefs, as well as num-
Der of the foremost railway execu-
tives, have reached the Stage where
they are willing to talk trades" in
dicates the president has stirred up
what he termed "the immodite
opinion" Of the railway powers.
1t is now known that the B. and o.
and the Southern railway executives
are ready to make concessions and
President Hale Holden OF the Bur-
lington in whose hands Louis W. Hill
has placed power for negotiating for
the Hill lines, is opposed to un-
equivocaly rejecting the presidents
proposal.
On the other hand, early this morn
ing the Pennsylvania and the New
York Central were holding out strong
against yielding the point Of arbitra-
ton. A majority Of the great sys-
TENS appeared to be with them.
Throughout the night kilograms
kept pouring into the headquarters OF
the executives and managers-appeals
from merchants and manufacturing
organizations in all the t'e cities Of
the country-urging the chiefs to
stand pat on the question.
Out of today's situation the belief
grows that the roads will yield in
the end.
There will be no strike" said one
roader today. Officially he had said
the executives would stick to the
last ditch. If public opinion con-
tinues favorable to the railways"
Privately, however, his admission
was that they'll talk this last ditch
business. but 1t is a practical GER
tainty that no strike is ccming.'
The informant frankly said if there
is any veering in public continent
as the railways interpret it-or IL
President Wilson feels the public Is
with him, the executives must-and
will-yield.
There is no doubt, however, that
the roads will stand out to the end
for some concessions. They want the
president to define strongly and prac-