The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-10-15

done with the brotherhoods. and ex-
plicitly condemns the action which he
In fact took II the principles he
laid down were good for the future
they were good for the present. Do
II now, Mr. wilson, DO not use fine
words about what somebody else ought
to do in the future in order TO- cover
up your own shameful abandonment
Of duty in the present.
Question of Wages.
MIR. Wilson has adroltly maintained
that the question at issue was the
e!ght-hour day This is not all in
fact The question at issue was the
question OF wages. The law does
not say that there shall be an eight
hour day. Ii says that eight hours
shall "bc made the measure OF a days
work FOR the purpose ~ receiving
compensation" In other words. II
was primarily an increase OF wages
and no, 4 diminution Of hours that
was aimed at.
! believe in tho eicht-hour day. II
is the ideal toward which VIC should
tend. But l believe that there must
be common sense as well as common
honesty in achieving the ideal. MIR.
Wilson has laid down the principle
that there is something sacred about
the eight-hour day. which makes II
improper even to discuss il. II this
is SO, If 1t is applied universally, then
Mr., Wilson is not to be excused for
not applying II Immediately where
he has complete power, and that is
in his own household. II the princi.
pie OF the eight-hour day is sacred
and not 10 be changed under an cir
Cumsianccs. then the housemad, who
in Mr. wilson's house, arises at Z
o'clock in the morning should be let OF
ut o'clock in the afternoon; and IL
Mr.. Wilson's butler is kept up after
state dinner until 10 o'clock, he
must not come on until 2 o'clock the
following afternoon, and no hired man
on a farm must get MP to milk the
cows in the morning unless he quits
work before milking time arrives the
same evening, or course, the simple
truth is that under one set Of condi-
tons an eiSht-hour law may be too
long. or. at least. may represent the
very maximum of proper work; where
as there may be other conditions un-
der which Il man working more than
eight hours one day gets one or two
days OF complete leisure following. OF
where the work is intermittent
throughout the day, or is OF SO easy
or varied a type that no exhaustion
accompanies 1t, or where a rush OF
work for few days will be compen.
stated by complete leisure on certain
other days. It is ridiculous to say
that an engineer OF a high-speod train
under especially difficult conditions,
an engineer of a slow-speed train UNI
der very much easier conditions, a
farm labOrer in harvest time, man
engaged as Waterman through the
quiet work of the night. or man en-
gagged in the exhaustive work of steel
puddler in continuous seyen-days-a-
week, night-and-day industry. should
be governed by precisely the same rule
or by the same rigid application in
detail of u sound general principle.
Believes in Good Wages.
! heartily believe in proper limi-
tation by law Of hours Of work in the
railroad service. and recommended
legislation to that effect when / was
president. / believe in the wages in
any industry being just as high as
possible TO make them without inius-
tice to the capital invested and to the
public which is served. But 1t is a
mere trusm TO say that 1t is impossi-
bic to get this ideal achieved unless
an honest and dispassiOnate effort is
first made by the proper commission
to ascertain the full facts in the par
ticular case. AS regards the rail-
roads. we have TO consider the wages
paid to the different classes of en-
ployees, the interest on the invest
ment, the earning power Of the road,
and the kind Of service that must be
rendered TO the public. II is impossi-
bic to secure proper solution Of
the problem unless all these factors
are considered. Mr.. Wilson absolutely
declined to consider any of them. He
declined even to ask what they we're.
We have not at this moment one par
ticular of trustworthy information
which will enable us to decide whether
the demands of the men were Just or
not. wish it distinctly understood
that i am not trying to pass judg-
mcnt upon the justice Of the case.
regard the engineers, iiremen and en-
ginemcn and trainmen as doing pc
culiary responsible and arduous work,
and entitled to particular considera-
ton as regards both hours of labor
and pay. hope that they are fully
entitled rs a matter of justice to
what they will receive under the
Adamson bill and if II so appears
shall heartily support it. But l pro-
test against the far-reaching evil Of
the precedent set in the method which
has been followed. We are denied
knowledge. We see Congress forced
to act under threats. protest against
any law passed under such duress. l
protest against the case being decid-
ed without giving each party its day
in court, and above all without giving
the public its day in court. hope the
demands of the men were Just, and
would have been proved TO be, II in
vestigated before competent body.
But | explicitly protest against any
action by the government when no
investigation has been held TO see
whether the claims are or are not
Just. and when they are granted
through fear and not as a matter of
right.
Public VIII Pay.
Remember it is the public that in