Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-08-28
ALL OTHER MEANS FAILING,
TO APPEAL TO CONGRESS
Will Confer This Afternoon With
Senate Steering Committee Re.
garding Strike Legislation. =
STRIKE SITUATION Is SERIOUS
Chief Magistrate Expected to Tell. ;.
Senate and House Details Of Ef-
forts and to Ask Legis-
lative Interference.

At the conference between
President Wilson and the COM
mittee of railroad chiefs at the,
White House this afternoon,
starting at 2:3O o'clock, the ques-
ton of whether there will be a
nationwide strike hangs by a
thread.
The President is to confer with
the steering committee of the
Senate this afternoon regarding
strike legislation.
Congress has reconciled itself
to the decision that there will not
be an early adjournment. The
entire railroad controversy is
likely to be thrown into Congress
for settlement. d.
Tentative plans are being made
for a joint session, probably very.
soon,t to be addressed by the
President. He will appeal, if.
necessary, for emergency -legisla-
ton to meet the present strike
Condition" s,e-l
Compulsory Arbitration.
That compulsory arbitration IL q
probable result of the entire matter is
| the opinion today among those who
have been in closest touch with the
situation and the Presidents efforts
during the last two weeks to effect an .
adjustment through his personal media
tion.
While the railroad presidents are con-
ferring at the White House today, with
the understanding that they are to pre-
sent a counter proposition as a reply to
the Presidents proposal for settlement
there is an undercurrent of feeling that
the President knows the essentials of
their plan and has prepared anothersin
substitution for his earlier proposal.
If the President presents such q sug-
gestion to the railroad executives they
will retire to consider it. That Is their
attitude-that they are open to earnest
consideration of any way Of settlement
WHICH Will IeCORulZe
May Be Up to Congress.
With the railway executives standing
firm against conceding the eight-hour
day and the brotherhood leaders still
standing ou. against arbitrating it, the
hope of preventing a tie-up Of the
country's transportation systems seem,
ed to lie with Congress.
Unless a settlement of the contro.
yersy betweeen the raf1road operators
and the railroad employees. or che like
lihood of such a settlement develop9en
day, the President will carry the whole
matter to Congress. The opinion was
confidently expressed by admintstra-
ton leaders at the Capitol today.
Conferences among them and with
President Wilson, which began last
night, were continued today. The
President postponed his engagement
with the railway executives from 10
o'clock shis morning until 2:3O O'Clock
this afternoon to give him more time
for conference with leaders of Con
gress.
Attitude of President.
The President, 1t is said today, has
repeatedly shown a willingness to con-
sent to any plan which would include
the principle Of the eight-hour day and
has stood ready to submit to the rail-
road employees any plan suggested by
the executives which has a possibility
of acceptance.
tn to the present the railroad execu-
ties have based their objections to the
Presidents plan on the ground that the
entire controversy should be submitted
to arbitration.
It was understood today that many
proposals of different forms have been
presented to the railway executives
through the White House, but that they
have all been met with the statement
that the railroads stood for arbitrating
the whole controversy.
President to Give Details. = Z
If all negotiations fail. and the Presi-
dent goes before Congress probably to-
morrow or Wednesday, it is said he
will reveal the details of all negotia-
tions in his address and his plan for
The four brotherhood heads, while
they waited today for the next move
by the executives, sent President Will
SON a letter explaining how the $40
had gone home and left
twenty-four men in charge with authority
to act.
Congress Not to Adjourn.
Senator Kern. the majority leader.
whom President Wilson journeyed
through the rain to the Capitol last
night to consult. said that all hope Of
of Congress Friday had
been abandoned. and that Congress- was
waiting the outcome of the Presidents
today with officials OF the
railroads and brotherhoods before un.
dertaking anything relating to the In.
dustrial crisis. -.