Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1916-09-01
RAILROADS ABSOLUTELY REFUSE
TO ACCEPT TERMS OFFERED
BY PRES. WILSON,.
HE TAKES CASE TO CONGRESS
Companies Say if People Will Pay
More for. Freight They Can A.
ford to Pay the Higher
Wages Asked.

Washington.-The threatened rail-
way strike took on such grave as
pect Saturday that President Wilson
turned toward congress for a solu-
ton of the problem.
Suddenly during the morning when
it became known, that the railway
executives were unanimous in their
refusal to accept his plan Of settle
ment, President Wilson personally
went to the capitol and laid before
Majority Leader Kern of the senate
and Senator Newlands, chairman of
the interstate commerce committee,
the statement of the railway heads
that congress must guarantee some
source of added revenue if they are
to meet the demands of their en-
ployes.
Suggests No Method.
How this should be accomplished
President Wilson did not suggest. I'M
mediately afterward senators began
discussing proposals to have con-
gress record itself in favor of rate
increase.
The refusal of the railway execu-
tives to accept the presidents plan
including concession of the eight
hour day and proposing counter
plan such as previously has been
outlined, will put the next move up
to the brotherhood leaders. 1t prob
ably will be communicated to them
officially Monday after President Will
son has heard it from the executives.
Meanwhile, some development Of
possible congressional action is ex-
pected and will depend on the out
come of the next steps between the
employers and employees.
Nothing Doing Sunday.
Tentative plans for joint session
of the senate and house to hear Pres
ident Wilson ask for legislation to
prevent the threatened nationwide
railroad strike were discussed by the
president with Senator Kern, the
democratic leader, when it seemed
virtually certain that a break be-
ployes must follow conferences at
the White House.
UP to Congress.
President Wilson Monday night def
initely decided to go before congress
in person Wednesday to recommend
Legislation aimed to avert the threat
ened nationwide railroad strike, or
stop it if it comes before congress
can act He worked until late Mon
day night on his message in which
he will tell members Of the senate
and house of the negotiations and
lay before them definite legislative
program.
The president reached this decision
after conferences at the White House
with the committee of eight railroad
presidents and the four brotherhood
heads on a new proposal for settle
ment of differences suggested by the
executives and after prolonged dis
cussion of the situation at the CAPT
toll with the members of the demo-
cratic steering committee of the SEN
ate.
Brotherhoods Call Strike.
Washington, Aug. 80. - President
Wilson laid the railway strike situa-
ton before congress Tuesday afternoon
in an address to both houses assembled
in joint session. The president told
congress of his efforts to bring the
railroad managers and the men into
some sort of agreement, saying, and
saying he was powerless to do more, he
asked congress to enact legislation to
deal with the situation.
While President Wilson was prepar-
ing to appear before congress the
brotherhood leaders rejected the latest
proposition of the committee of rail-
way presidents and actually ordered
the strike to begin at a. m. Labor
Day, unless settlement satisfactory to
them is reached in the meantime.
Their previous order for the strike
was tentative and required a secret
signal to put it into effect. Unless a
settlement satisfactory to the labor
leaders is reached by that time, or I'M
less President Wilson and congress
find some way to prevent it, the strike
would start Labor Day without further
notice.
The labor leaders admitted they took
their action the first thing today in the
belief that some means was being
sought to prevent the strike being act
ually called. BY their action they think
they have anticipated any legal pro-
cesses which might be brought against