Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1916-11-03

government assumed the burden Of the
suit and successfully maintained 1t
We now have the workmen's compensa-
ton act in interstate commerce, in con.
sequence largely of this act.
Cites l.. & N. Case.
Shortly afterwards, toward the end
of my term, the Louisville & Nashville
railway announced to it's employees
that it intended to make a ten per cent
cut in their wages. This meant very
serious blow to the men concerned,
and the possibility of far-reaching labor
disturbances. The officials Of the
brotherhoods came to see me about 1t.
I decided that in such matter the
public was gravely concerned and that
if such action were to be taken by the
railroads it was only just and proper
that there should be full investigation
by competent authorities who would be
able to tell us just what the railroads
were earning, what they could afford
to pay, and did pay their management
and their stockholders and what they
received in the way Of rates and ex-
pended in the way of wages to their
employees.
"In other words, I felt that we had
a right to know all of the conditions,
obtained by careful investigation, so
that the public and it's governmental
representatives might be informed OF
the equities in the case and in condi'
ton to take whatever action was
necessary. 1 accordingly directed the
chairman Of the interstate commerce
commission to send experts down to
examine the books of the company and
in an open letter to the attorney gen.
eral I announced my intention under
the Erdman act of providing for an
investigation by disinterested and
trustworthy men. The announcement
of this action put a stop to the intend.
ed move and the L. & N people in.
formed their employees that there
would be no cut in wages.
81 ask you to consider just what I
was doing I was not prejudicing
their cases. I did not say there should
be no cut I did say there should be
full investigation to find out if the
cut was warranted and to find out the
other conditions, the earnings, the
rates, the capitalization, the interest
charges and the like, which would en-.
able the public and it's representatives
to know exactly what the complicated
equities of the case were. This action
was taken against the interests of the
employer, the railroad corporation, the
capitalist. 1t was in the interest of the
wageworkers, the employees, the rail.
road men. 1t was only right however,
if it was to be treated as a precedent
justly applicable to either side when
the conditions demanded it.
Precedent Established.
''The Adamson case furnished ex-
actly the kind of case in which it
should be treated as precedent In
the Adamson case the men demanded
an increase of wages precisely as the
L. & N had announced that it in.
tended to make a decrease in wages
In the Adamson case, as in the l.. & N.
case, it was the right OF the govern
ment, lnasmu eh as the interests of the
people of the nation were gravely con-
cerned, itself to take action; but it
was it's duty first of all to obtain full
knowledge of the facts.
when l was president I refused to
admit that the L. & N. had moral
right arbitrarily to reduce wages I'M
less there was full investigation of all
the facts by the government. In ex.
actly the same fashion I now refuse to
admit the moral right of the brother
hoods in the Adamson case to insist
that there should be big increase in
wages without any investigation of
the complicated equities of the case,-
and, of course, arbitration was the one
way of making such investigations eff
fective, and then, if there was need,
the legislative power could be invoked
by whatever method necessary to make
the arbitration effective.
81 hope the demands of the men
were just. am not passing judgment
on them in any way. I have no knowl-
edge that will enable me to say wheth-
er or not it was right that the wages
should be raised without increasing
the rates, or how such a wage raise
will affect the shippers, the stockhold-
ers, or the general public. There could
be no worse precedent established than
the precedent of legislation of such
character being demanded of congress
without investigation Immediately be-
fore given day, under threat of dis
aster to the nation. Congress was re-
quired to pass the law before Saturday
closed, and the president was not al
lowed to wait until Monday, but was
required to sign it on Sunday, in order
to avert widespread disaster.
Censures Wilson.
1t was the president of United
States who stood over congress and
demanded that the government of all
the people should pass law for the
economical advantage of one-half OF
one percent of the people, without
giving the rest of the people their
day in court.
cit was the president who terror
hiC