The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-10-02
ROOSEVELT SCORES
ADAMSOh BILL
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nov.r for the working man except
whar Is wrong; butt will do wrong
neither fer him nor for any other man.
There must b. hut one law 10 be
;nDIied in these cases. and 10 be yield
cd 10 By all alike. TO yield 10 the
threats Of Il great organized body OF
workers Is just as evil and cowaruly
a thing in public man. as 10 yield
10 the Influence Of representatives or
great organized capital; and IN the
Ionc run Just as dangerous 10 tire
country. II is a wicked and peTlious
thing, without 4 hearing. without re-
gard to The rights OF the case, 10 huru-
en- the whole country. TO TAX the who!e
country, because special Dehent IS
demanded by h group OF voters VINO
can exert formidable political pres
sure. who threaten temporary neon
yenience and damage, and who there
fore COW tjmid or shifty politicians.
Such wrougdoing by our public men
will In The cid be fraught with even
greater mischief 10 the workers than
10. the CAPITALISTS, for If the policy OF
Welding 20 improper influence Is SUD-
stitutei for the policy Of justice. in the
long run capital will exert an insidi-
Gus force exceeding any that the LABOR
Unions can bring 70 bear. II has been
we'll said that "DemoCraCies cannot
live. il organized miuoritles can force
them to unconSdered acts" Whether
the arrogant disregard OF justice anu
Of the public veal is shown by organ
lied capital or organized LABOR Is OF
no consequence whatever II either IS
permitted TO intimidate the repreSen-
tatives OF the people, the effect upon
free institutions Will be equally fata'
Refused Arbitration.
The representatives Of the Brother
hoods nomipally refused TO submit the
question TO arbitration. What they
really did was 10 insist upon action by
Congress without previous investlga-
ton, without full knowledge. and IN
deed, without any knowledge. mo
President made their action his own.
He therefore denied US full know
ledge: and all that va can say is That.
with the knowledge before Us al pres
ent, it appears that the question al IS.
sue was not really that OF an elGhr-
hour day at all. but OF an increase or
wages. The demand was not that on
freight trains eight hours should bic
made the measure OF a days work Tor
the purwork for the purpose OF recciN-
ing compensation SO that the men
should receive the same wages that
they now receive for ten hours work;
and that provision should be made Tor
overtime at about the rate Of time
and one-half. The passenger service
was exempted. This was because OF
the high speed basis Of many pas
senger schedules. which means tina.
many Of the men on these trains CON-
plete their days work in four or hve
hours, and that because Of the mile
age basis on which they are. paid they
may receive in one day pay for twenty
hours work although they do not work
ten or even eight hours day.
Not Eight Hour Day.
Now, wish it distinctly understood
that am not in the least prepared TO-
say that this demand Is wrong. i may
be absolutely right. Ny point is that
without full invcs LEGATION We cannot say
whether It Is right or wrong. President
Wilson yielded TO. the dictation Of the
heads of the Erotherhoods. and made no
effort TO find out whether the demand
was right or wrong. lie made no ciori
to find ont whether II could he compiled
with without raising freight rates. He
in the case; those affecting the men.
those affecting the stockholders. those
affecting tho shippers. He took his or
ders from that one Of the parties in in
tercst which he most feared. He IN
sisted that tho law be passed without
inquiry. And~then he deferred the OPP
Grafton OF the law until after election.
which of course could only have been
done for political reasons. We have not
at this"morntnt any power TO determine
which side OF the controversy Is right.
and which wrong. We do not know
whether II is right TO increase the
wages without increasing the freight
rates: and whether In such event II is
proper TO the public that both the rates
and wages shall he increased to the
amount this will will require; or wheth-
er any increase in rates ought to hn
made: or whether in the interest OF tho
public neither wages nor rates should
be Increased. I believe from the stand
point Of the public Interest. IN the proper
limitation by law Of the hours of work
on railroads: but It Is essential that
there shall be full knowledge and con-
Sideration of all the facts hefor" de-
ternining exactly what the law shall hc.
The question at issue was not that OF
au eight hour day at all. The question
was whether the President and Congress
should enact Il law, without investiEa-
ton and without knowledge. to give in
creased wages to a certain portion OF
the body of wage carners. The labor
leaders on this issue. without regard to
the right or wrong of the matter, first
cocrced tho President, and then with
his aid cocrccd Congress. The question
at issue was not ono of the hours of
labor. 1t was one OF wages. And it was
settled by the President and Congress
without Investigation and without
knowledge. The settlement was duo
partly to fear. and partly to hope OF
political profit. President Wilson In his
speech on the 23rd Of this month sought
10 explain and Justify his action. He
stated his whole case with probably
unconscious accuracy when he said that
trovcrSy he had Learned that the whole
temper Of the Legislative bodies Of tho
United States was in favor Of what
one side announced to he It's contention.
In other words. he had made up his
mind In advance; and he had made II
up because he believed the majority Of
the ConCrcssr1en (for the most part
pure politiciana) were on what they
deemed to be the popular side In this
speech he explicitly admitted that In
this controversy the main partner was
left out Of the reckoning. because tn"
two parties declined to consider "what
rights had the hundred million people
Wilson eagerly Joined with these men
IN refusing TO consider the rights Of
these hundred millions of people. Prcsl
dent Wilson knows VOL that he has
betrayed the rights of these people. He
admits that when in the same speech.
with his usual faculty for using tinn
words about the future when he d.
sires 10 cover up mean deeds in tho
present, he says. how are VIC going
to prevent any, organization from over
riding tho interests OF society?
America has the privilege to say: YOU
must not interrupt the national liCo
without consulting us" Exactly. Fin"
words. Words such as Mr.. Wilson loves
TO use. And as Is customary with Mr..
Wilson. these Rne words Of his about
abstract rights are fatty contradictcd
by his unworthy deeds rs soon ms H..
concrete case arises. Mr.. Wilson uS";
these lofty words about the future at
the very tune when he has mad" Amer
ica submit to seeing "an nrcaniZat ion
override the interests of society" when
LII h.. I'm: ,..l a,