Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-08-30
PRESIDENT WARNED.
OTHERS MAY STRIKE
Representative of Unorganized
Railroad Employees Com
municates by Letter.

I Through their lone representative ir
Washington, the 100000 or more rail
road employees not members of brother.
hoods are demanding that if an eight.
hour law be passed by Congress dealine
with railroad employees it shall cove,
them also.
They declare that they have no or.
ganization to look after their interests
and that it is unfair that one portion OF
railroad employees. simply because they
are organized, should be favored as te
shorter work hours and greater paw
while the vast majority are given nc
consideration at all.
Robert I. Frazier. jr.. of Nashville
who came to Washington three weeks
ago seeking to see President Wilson &c
lay before him the petition of what he
employees, and Who has failed to get a
conference with the President, TODAY
sent to the White House d letter In il
he warns the President that a conse.
quence of failure to consider the SO Del
cent will be the organization of these
employees into unions and demands upon
railroads for more pay that will make
the railroad situation generally more
serious in the future
The letter is as follows:
Text of Letter to President.
"As a representative of the 80 per
cent of the railway employees of the
country. the men who. at all times
have been loyal to their companies
and to their country. and men who are
not now making any demands relative to
hours of service or wages but who
stand to suffer loss only as a result of
strike methods gesorted to by the 20
per cent, the trainmen, or as a result
of the readjustment of wage scales
represented, l came to Washington
three weeks ago, bringing with me
petitions from my associates in the
service Of the Nashville, Chattanooga
and st. Louis railway, bearing 5000 sig
natures.
These have since been augmented
by petitions from the employees of other
roads to the number of 105,000 now
in your hands and between 100000 and
100000 more which I am advised are
expected to be forwarded to you short
ly.
Il have sought, and patiently awaited,
for these three weeks, an opportunity
personally to present these our petit
first citizen, and it is with regret that
must now report to them that
throughout this long period, given over
almost entirely to the subject, you have
their representative.
May Affect Only 20 Per Cent.
TN the second paragraph of the legis-
lation yesterday recommended by you to
Congress 1 see the following language:
The establishment of an eight-hour day
as the legal basis alike of work and of
wages in the employment of all railway
employees who are actually engaged in the
work of operating trains in interstate
1t would seem from this
that the legislation recommended would
operate only to the benefit of the 'em-
ployes actually engaged in the work of
operating trains in interstate transporta-
ton (the 20 per cent?, and that the great
of railway employees. heretofore
and unheard of, would be
without protection or recourse under the
law
'If this is the design of the proposed
law, and 1t is enacted so, l must re-
spectfully warn you of the event sure to
follow. and that at no great date, which
will place the industrial fabric of the ma
ton in greater jeopardy than 1t at the
present stands-the 80 per cent must of
organize and present their de-
mands for recognition and protection.
I'VE prefer. however. as individual citi-
zens. moving in unison, to ask the pro-
lection and recognition from our gov
ernment first, and feel confident that you,
Mr.. President. as its chief executive, will
see that such recognition and protection
Is accorded U.s."