The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-09-05
THE IIAW AIIAN GAZETTE.
RDa rs EDITOR T gUBsD,,ss MORNING rms ADvIR1ay
RODERIG Q. MATHESON. EDITOR
The Great Conspiracy

TONGRESS can pass laws regulating the
- hours of work of railroad employees, and il
the laws are we'll drawn, carefully considered
statutes, they will undoubtedly be permitted to
stand The tendency in all lines where skilled
labor is required especially in the operation Of
machinery, is towards reduction in the length Of
the working day. There many who believe
that the railroads will in their own interests,
eventualyso systematic their operations that they
can standardize service the short-day basis.
Most men do not do good work in the last two
hours OF a ten-hour day so that both the workers
and their employers would be better off in health
and in pocket if they did not work to the limit
OF extreme bodily and nerve exhaustion,
1t would seem that the national law makers
might be well within their constitutional
rights in enacting legislation along these lines, in
so far the laws relate to the regulation of
interstate commerce, field in which congress
has sole powers. The objection to such legisla
ton would of course come if congress were to
assume that it has any control of the wages to be
paid for the short-day service.
Here is where those who not members Of
the labor unions willing to stand up and fight
Congress has been VIGOROUSLY parsmonious and
niggardly in providing for salaries of technical
experts and scientific investigators in the public
service This structure applies in all branches
OF the service, military and civilian. 1t has dealt
on a more liberal basis with Presidential APP
pointees whose tenure of Office is dependent on
party politics. How much more liberal can our
national legislators be when they are regulating
the wages of men whom they do not have to pay,
especially as the politicians who going to
make this new law undoubtedly need the votes
The threatened strike is so evidently political
affair that there be nothing but wonderment
in contemplating the pending congressional pro-
gram. Wages high Work is plentiful, and
will be SO long the European war continues.
The country is enjoying a wave of artificial pros
perity which everyone knows is due to the
When Europe tires of fighting and RECEIVERS its
sanity American "war-babes' will die. Every
one acknowledges that Then is the time when
strikes would naturally be expected, when Amer
lean labor has to compete on even terms with
war-impoverished European labor.
When every is busy there is good
reason for striking Labor conditions good
as they gould be expected to be under free trade
without the constructive optimism that know1-
edge gives when both laborers and their employ
efs know that their industry is protected, and
will last Wages are high and work is plentiful
1t Is the middle of the crop moving season, which
perhaps is unfortunate-fOr the farmerS-but the
big presidential election is only two months away.
When the conspiracy which has led up to this
strike is investigated, it must be sooner or
later, the full facts of this great attempted poll
tical intrigue will the light of day. Many
Of the tranmen already discovering the true
inwardness OF affairs, through which they were
to have been voted to maintain the hold
OF unscrupulous political theories the national
treasury Back Of the conspiracy there will be
discovered Secretary of Labor Wilson and Samuel
Gompers and the long cared jackass, emblem of
the Democratic Party and the wise" leaders and
. counSellOrS of the administration.
The strike may come next Monday If it does
ii is going to be the most deadly boomerang
launched by its hackers 1t is going to int the
party in power a solar plexus blow, for it will be
optical demonstration Of the weakness ard vaca-
ton, the entire lack of executive capacity of the
present administration 1t will be such demon
stration as even blind man can see of the sub
terfuge that these would-be statesmen under
take in an attempt to bamoozle the American
people. The administration has been caught in
the act of trying to put over movie" con-
spiracy, first placing the nation in jeopardy in
order that Hero Woodrow Wilson can appear at
the psychological moment rescue the heroine, and
land the labor vote