Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-31
GARRETSON DEMANDS S-HOUR DAY
"AS RIGHT TO BE ALLOWED EVERY MAN.
By j. P. YoDER

WASHINGTON. Aug. 31.-A legislative
| settlement even though II does not include
| all demands made by the four big railroad
| brotherhoods, will be acceptable to the
100000 employees who have all plans set
| TO strike Monday. Such settlement, A. b.
| Garretson, chief of the conductors, told the
senate Interstate Commerce Committee to-
day, must include an eight-hour day law.
w. G. Lee. trainmeh leader told the
committee the brotherhood chiefs could flash
the message satisfactory settlement" and
halt the strike. provided the eight-hour bill
Is passed by Saturday midnight The men,
he said, are willing to submit to the
collateral investigation of wages and the
like, involved in the measure.
Garretson was the FIRST speaker at the
hearing to consider testimony from the
brotherhood chiefs, the railway presidents
and the shippers before leg aslative action is
taken.
".As for the question of authority" said
Garretson. ~ could call off the strike. But
that would be only through a satisfactory
settlement such as | have just mentioned.
For that matter. I care not through what
agency that satisfactory settlement may
come.
You have seen the scare headlines about
refusing to call off the strike, bravado and
all that" continued Garretson. Il don't
know whether you realize the responsibility
we have because of the strike vote. It
cannot be put lightly aside"
NEwLANDs OUTLINES LEGISLATION.
Senator Newlands opened the committee
hearing by outlining the six measures de-
sired by President Wilson. He said no
legislation proposed or to be proposed would
involve compulsory arbitration The
strongest measure in that direction. he said,
simply called for a Government inquiry
and report that left both parties to the
dispute free to act as they thought best.
The committee room was crowded. Every
ur nRAt1 al I'D NIA atEr,
flowed into the hallway. Samuel Gompers,
president of the American Federation of
Labor, arrived with the brotherhood execu-
tives At times during Garretson's talk
Gompers nodded his head in vigorous
acquiescence to the points made by the
speaker.
Among the railway heads present were
Elisha Lee. chairman of the national confer
ence committee of the railways; e. H. Coap-
man, vice president of the Southern; John T.
Walker, secretary of the conference commit
tee of the eastern railways; A. d. Greig,
assistant to the receiver of the st. Louis
and Santa Fe; J. NJ. Sheehan, counsel of
the national conference committee; c. L.
Bards general manager of the New Haven:
n. D. Mayer, vice president of the Nor
folk and Western; L. W. Baldwin, general
manager of the Central of Georgia; ". L.
Siddons vice president of the Seaboard Air
Line, and II. w. McMaster, general man
ager of the Wheeling and Lake Erie
ELLIOTT AND GoMPERs MEET.
Howard Elliott president OF the New
Haven. entered as Gompers came in. They
bowed stihiy TO each other and went to
seats at opposite ends of the room.
Garretson pointed out the fight the broth
erhoods have had since they organized to
get better working conditions. He said
before the organizations were perfected IL
was common thing for men to be on duty
with human lives in their charge 72 hours
on a stretch. 1t was out of the ordinary.
he said, for men not to work "a hours Q,
day for two or three days at a time every
month
"And always their monthly wage was the
same. Can there be a better argument for
time and half for overtime worlS?" he
demanded.
He said the men demand the eight-hour
day-they do not request it-"as a human
right to be allowed every man."
ALWAYS READY FOR A CALL"
I'VE are demanding some of the pleasures
the ordinary man enjoys. We are mere
travellers over the face of the earth. Only
through the eight-hour day can we have
a part of the rights and pleasures OF life |
enjoyed by the average man. I wonder |
how many of you gentlemen realize what |
boon 1t is that your lives in your homes |
are sealed book when you want II TO be |
so, 1t is not 80 with the railroad man.
We must always be ready for call Even |
when off duty our employers must know |
where we are. We believe the employer |
should keep the human part of his plant |
in as good condition as the iron and wood |
part.
with an eght-hour law properly en-
forced present conditions would be i'm |
possible, Why. it used openly to be advo-
Gated when train crews had long shifts |
that so long as one man STAYED awake |