Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1916-09-29

iViOSoot VI tHc HButCS VI eApcTtS UdSeu
upon an entirely different experience, and
if you were to ask me personally to arbi-
trate such question would say am not
competent to arbitrate it,
THE reasonable thing to do is to grant
the eight-hour day, not because the men
demand it, but because it is right, and let
me get authority from Congress to appoint
a commission Of as impartial nature as
] can choose to observe the results and re-
! port upon the results, in order that justice
may in the event be done to the railroads
in respect to the cost of the experiment.
II have recently been through an ex-
perience which distressed me. tried to
accommodate difference between some
of the employees of the American railways
and the executives Of the American rail-
ways, and the distressing thing | discov-
cred was that on the one hand there was
unlimited suspicion and distrust Of the
other side, and that suspicion and dis
trust was returned by the other side in
full measure.
THE executives did not believe in the
sincerity Of the men, and the men did
not believe in the sincerity and fairness
of the executives. and while arbitration
was being discussed had this sad thought !:
Arbitration is word associated with the
dealings Of hostile interests 1t is an alter
native of war There ought to be no such
thing as the contemplation of hostility as
between men whose interests are the same
and who should cooperate together
And therefore ii came upon me with
force that it had never had before that
the real problem Of capital and labor was
to bring the two sides to understand and
believe in one another that the problem
of the next generation. if America were
really to release her energy, was to be this
real, genuine, fundamental reconciliation
between capital and labor.
Il did not realize until held those con-
ferences just how far apart they were in
that particular and indispensable part of
our national life, the transportation Of the
country. and when | did realize it, saw
that there was great task that was worth
any mans while ahead of us, to bring the
minds Of the country together. to see that
men understood one another, to see that
they had some assurance that they were
speaking the truth to one another. never
had franker conferences in my life than
had with the representatives of the two
sides
You know that when the public began
to notice this controversy. it had already
been going on for some time. had been
watching it with great anxiety. and when
it became evident that an accommodation
was not going to be reached thought it
my duty to try my hand at the difficult
task of accommodation. because know
how much was involved. not only in the
immediate effects Of great strike such as
was threatened, but also in the ultimate
effects, the soreness left. the resentment
that would remain. the feeling or hostility
that would be accumulated; and so | asked
the privilege Of consulting with them.
Before | consulted with them. !. of
course, made myself acquainted with the
points Of controversy, and | learned that
they were very simple. indeed that the
men demanded an eight-hour day, and
that in order to make the eight-hour day
work they demanded that the railroads
pay them one-half more for overtime than
they paid them for the time in the regular
day. the men alleging that that was the
only way in which they could obtain a
genuine eight-hour day, by making the
railroads pay more for the time beyond the
eight hours than they paid for time within
the eight hours. saw at once that there
was one part of this that was arbitrable
but that in my opinion there was another
gard the question Of the principle of the
eight-hour day as admirable
THE first thing ] told both sides before
! requested their opinion was that stood
for the eight-hour day. received no sue-
gestion Of any kind from either side as to
what the basis Of settlement was to be
except that the railroad executives did
suggest that Congress give them some sort
of assurance that if the eight-hour day
went into operation they would get in
creased rates for the carriage of their
freight. pointed out to them that it was
impossible to tell whether they would need
increased rates for the carriage of their
freight.
I'VE believe in the eieht-hour day be.
cause a man does better work within eight
hours than he does within more extended
day. and the whole theory of it-a theory
which is sustained now by abundant ex.
perience-is that his efficiency is increased
his spirit in his work is improved and the
whole moral and physical vigor of the
man is added to.
This is no longer conjectural. Where
it has been tried it has been demonstrated
The judgment of society. the vote Of every
Legislature in America that has voted
upon it, is verdict in favor of the eight
hour day.
And therefore, | said to those gentle
men on both sides at the very beginning
The eight-hour day ought to be conceded
But they said Ii will cost us an immense
sum Of money. How do you know how
much it will cost your
you remember there was case de-
cided by the Supreme Court of the United
States. II was known as the 80-cent gas
case where, by legislation in the State OF
New York, so cents was established as the
charge for the unit of the supply of gas