Connecticut western news., 1916-09-28
WILSON PRAISES
 EIGHT HOUR LAW
Defends His Course to Avert
 Railroad Strike, -
TALKS TO BUSINESS MEN.
Says United States Has Been Too Much Under Guidance of Lawyers - De- cIares American Business Is at Be- ginning of New Era-World Prob lems Confront Us Now.

ginning of New Era-WorId Prob
 Iems Confront Us Now.
 President Wilson in his first reply to
 the attacks of Republican Candidate
 Hughes to his policy on the railroad
 eight hour law made a spirited de-
 fense of the measure and his course in the threatened railroad strike. He talked to an audience of New Jersey business men at Shadow Lawn. He | discussed generally the future of Amer jean business ill the markets of the world and the things which the gov ernment has done to give 1t free hand.
 Before he took up the eight hour day | legislation the president painted glowing picture of the outlook before | the nations business, declaring that al- though prosperity today is greater than ever before. the country is but on the threshold of an era of even more TO- bust material achievement.
 Dealing primarily with governmental activities, the presidents speech was essentially political, for he talked in vigorous fashion of the two topics Of Mir. Hughes recent animadversiOns- the Adamson law and the federal re- serve act.
 Praises Federal Reserve Act. In the latter case the presidents re- marks could hardly be called defense of the Democratic enactment. for he did little more than assert the merits of the service which had been render ed the business men and the country generally.
 Turning to the eight hour day law, MT. Wilson frankly revealed his knowl- edge that he was dealing with a po- litical issue. He called the Republicans to sharp account for their criticisms. pointing out that in the house more than a majority of the Republican membership had voted for the meas ure. whereas in the senate a confer ence of Republicans had voted not to place any obstruction in the way of the legislation.
 Implicit in the presidents thrusts at the Republicans was the charge that they had resorted to the eight hour issue solely out of a demagogic desire to reap partisan advantage and In full knowledge that they had avoided an opportunity to hold up its adoption. The president said very emphatically that when he took the eight hour rec ommendatiOn to congress no division of opinion had manifested itself there. New Era For Business. AS for himself. he asserted unquali- fedly that he was for the law because | it is right and has the judgment of so- ciety behind it. On the business out look he said in part:
 There never was a time when the pulse of energy and success beat so strongly in | the veins of American business as it beats today. And yet I hope that all businc- -s | men in America realize that we are only at the beginning of a new era. America has not played it's proportionate part in the development of the trade of the world. I mean that it has not played a part pro- portonate to the gifts of Americans and the resources of America and that in the | time to come, partly because of the un- happy circumstances of recent years, but chiefly because America is now about to | release her energies, the scope of Ameri- can business will be what men have hither- to not dreamed of if American men know y. | The problems that are before American business are world problems rather than American domes problems. America must understand the world in order to subject it to it's peaceful service. And yet when we look upon the field of American business there are some things that dis | turb us.
 Some men seem to think that the way to | advance American business is to walk | backward and to attempt again the pro- | vincial policies which have characterized l an age when we shut our doors against | the influence of the world.
 But the chief cloud that is upon the do- | mestic horizon is the unsatisfactory rela- | tions of capital and labor. There is only | one way, gentlemen, in which the rela- | tions of capital and labor can be rendered | satisfactory. That is by in the first place | regarding labor as a human relationship | of men with men, and, in the second place. | to regard labor as part of the general l partnership of energy which is going to | make for the success of business men and | business enterprises in this country. So | long as labor and capital stand antagonis- | tic the interests of both are injured and | the prosperity of America is held back l from the triumphs which are legitimately l it's own.
 Too Much Legalism. l You know that we have been legalistic | people. ] say with all due respect to some | men for whom l nave a hlSn esteem that | Ne have been too much under the guid- | ance of lawyers and that the lawyer has
 always regarded the relations between the
 employer and the employee as merely a
 contractural relationship, whereas it is,
 while based upon contract, very much
 more than contractural relationship.
 1t is relationship between one set of men
 with hearts under their jackets and with
 interest that they ought to serve in com
 mon with persons whom they love and
 must support on the one side and on the | other.
 Describing in detail the demands and
 counter proposals of the railway broth
 erhoods and their employers and the
 threatened strike that would have par
 alyzed the nations industries, the pres
 ident said the main question in his
 mind was the rights of 1OO,OOO,OOO to
 be served. He repeated his belief in
 the eight hour day and said be told the
 railroad executives:
 The reasonable thing to do is to grant