Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-09-07

hAoAAAAAENghf ~ 49,
sons address to congress on the rail
road strike situation follows, in part:
Gentlemen of the Congress- have
come to you TO seek your assistance
in dealing with a very grave situa-
ton, which has arisen out of the de
mand of the employees Of the railroads
engaged in freight train service that
they be granted an eight-hour work
ing day, safeguarded by payment for
an hour and a half of service for
every hour Of work beyond the eight,
"The matter has been agitated for
more than a year.
"The matter came some three
weeks g to a final issue and result
ed in 4 complete deadlock between
the parties. The means provided by
law for mediation of the controversy
failed, and the means of arbitration
for which the law provides were re-
jected.
'The law put no compulsion upon
them. The 400, 900 men from whom
the demands proceeded had voted to
strike if their demands were refused;
the strike was imminent; it has since
been set for the 4th of September
next.
"Just so soon as it became evident
that mediation under the existing law
had failed and that arbitration had
been rendered impossible by the atti-
tude of the men, l considered 1t my
duty to confer with the represents
tives of both the railways and the
brotherhoods, and myself offer medi'
alton, not as an arbitrator, but mere,
ly as a spokesman of the nation, in
the interest of justice, indeed, and as
a friend of both parties, but not as
Judge, only as the representative OF
100. 900 900 of men, women and chill
dren who would pay the price, the in
calculable price, of loss and suffer
ing, should these few men insist upoI
approaching and concluding the mat
tiers in controversy between then
merely as employers and employees
rather than as patriotic citizens oil TN
United States looking before and aft
er and accepting the larger response
bility which the public would pu
upon them.
at seemed to me, in conslderln;
the subject matter Of the controversy
that the whole spirit of the time ant
the preponderant evidence of recen
economic experience spoke for thu
eight-hour day.
81, therefore, proposed that TN
eight-hour day be adopted by the raj
way arrangements and put into prac
tice for the present as a substitute
for the existing 10-hour basis OF pa,
and service; that | should appoint
with the permission of congress,
small commission to observe the r.
suits of the change, carefully study
ing the figures Of the altered opera
ing costs not only, but also the col
ditions of labor under which h me
worked and the operation of their e.
listing agreements with the railroads
with instructions to report the fact
as they found them to the congress
the earliest possible day, but withor
recommendation; and that after tn
facts had been thus disclosed an az
iustment should in some orderly ma
ner be sought of all the matters no
left u%nadjusted between the railroa
managers and the men.
81 u~nhesitatingly offered the frienI
" services of the administration
the railway managers to see to it thu
Justice was done the railroads in tt
outcome. / felt warranted in assn
ing them no obstacle Of law would
suffered to stand in the way Of the
increasing their revenue to meet II
expenses resulting from the chant
so far as the development of the
business and of their administrati7
efficiency did not prove adequate
meet them.
1.-THE representatives of sthe brothe
hoods accepted the plan; but the re
resentatiyes of the railroads decline
to accept It. In the face OF what
cannot but regard as the practic
certainty that they will ultimately
obliged to accept the eight-hour d.
by the concerted action of organic
labor, backed by the favorable jud
ment of society, the Representative
of the railway management have IL
Justified in declining a peaceful 81
Element which would engage all t
forces of justice, public and privat
on their side to take care of t
event. They fear the hostile inf
ence Of shippers, who would be
posed to an increase Of freight rat
(for which, however, Of course, t
public itself would pay); they appi
emily feel no confidence that the
terstate commission cou
withstand the objections that wor
be made. They do not care to re
upon the friendly assurances Of I
congress or the president. They ha
thought It best that they should
forced to yield, if they must vie
not by consent. but by the suffer-
~N~~~~N~~~ ~NNN~N~N~~
Oh, Girls.
81 intend to marry for love-" 81
the girl with the dreamy eyes.
you are wise, my dear" repli
her dearest friend. Men with NOR
are often so hard TO please"
Retort Courteous.