The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-09-02

Win temperatures near the normal
oprins the week. There are no indi-
eakiens at this time Of disturbance
4 ths West Indies.
Ths Railway Age Gazette which is
. ~ m,uthpisce for the great railroad
w,fsna and Of the financial interests
Meha ~ that control the great rail-
son1e makes q bitter attack upon
&ssd1snt Wilson because he failed
- prvuads or force the railway
9~enerhVods to accept the arbitra-
~oe plan propossd by the railway
peprlosneh The tone OF the article
= - o6&haavs. 20 ens-sidsd and 20
eomiustrtng In tone that II n re-
produced herewith In order that the
esnsral public may gain an idea Of
Ne attitude Of some OF the railway In
tezests and the night they are making
% President Wilson. Il II quite evi.
dent that the railroad strike situation
WI U made a political Issue against
y's1dsnt Wilson. The article re.
fcnsd o. follows:
/. NJ '~fhs Railway Age 0asetts said last
voeh that it was inconceivable that
o1e President OF the United States
@oeld have proposed to the railways
G>at the3 should abandon their po-
ua&1en n favor Of arbitration and
Unpt ne demands Of the train en-
r'cyess Cor . so-callcd "eisht-hour,
aat'1 Il seemed inconceivable that
tse nreoidsnt should do this, but Il
n now Only too well known that this
> Wat ne actually ala.
Ihs sation regarded FIRST with sur
Ir;ss. then with astonishment ana
finally With absolute amusement the
course taken by the president. II ne
thousht Il to be generally popular
he las been rudsiy disilIusioned. The
business interests have risen to the
situation and are backing the r "
vays In energy and a unanimity
Which has been surprising even to
railway men. Only small part of
NE Pres has endorsed the presi-
oenrs course. and In a Iukewarm
nannsr. On the other hand. very
RrUe part of the press is savageiy
eenoul,cinG Mr.. Wilson. and declar-
ine that by his abandonment Of the
principle Of arbitration he has dealt
. heavy blow to the cause Of indus
trial peace. which will tend to cause
serikes. iockouts and anarchy In every
branch OF business.
The president denies that, he has
thrown over the principle Of arbitra-
tion. But actions speak louder than
prsfesions The railways repeatedly
offered arbitration. and the president
made absolutely no real effort to get
the men to accept II. The president
adds that the eight-hour day is sane
toned by social progress and JUS
tics and In not an arbitrable question.
This n sheer nonsense. and IL 1t were
not Y would have no application to
the present controversy. To say that
the question Of an eight-hour day Is
not arbitrable when day of that
length has been established In only
. very small part of the commercial
and Industrial concerns of the coun-
try y absurd on Its face. Further
: more. what is more important In this
connection. the train employees have
not asked for q real eight-h hour day,
and the acceptance OF the plan which
the president has endorsed would
not establish an eight-hour day. The
plan of the employees which the
president has endorsed does not pro-
vide that no man shall work either
more or less than eight hours. It pro.
vides that II an employe works more
than eight hours ne shall be paid
overtime for the excess hours. and
thas II he works less than eight hours
ne shall receive a full days pay
anyway. Preposterous as 1t may up.
pear. this In the plan the presiden,
has said II is the duty Of the rail-
ways to accept without arbitration;
and the result Of It's adoption would
be that railways would pay days
pay for much less than an average
of eight hours work.
The correctness OF the president.
statement that the situation show.