The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1916-10-25

his vocal chords soon became warm.
ed up" and he was again the brilliant
orator. He spoke for over two hours
and discussed every phase of the cam
paign now raging over the nation.
Opens Tariff Issue.
He confined his remarks for the
most part to discussion of the tariff
question and the Adamson "eight-hour"
law. the latter topic being Of great IN
terest to large group Of railroad en-
ployes
Opening his discussion OF the Adam
son law Watson read letter sent out
Oct. IL by officers OF the Brotherhood
Of Railroad Engineers and Firemen, in
answer to numerous inquiries, in which
1t was stated that they could give no
definite information concerning the
Adamson law as they were not vet
able to convince themselves that they
had interpreted it's meaning
He showed that this law merely es-
tablished working day for the pur-
pose of computing wages, and that it
affected only twenty percent Of the
railroad employes-those actually en-
gagged In interstate business. He point
ed out that nine-tenths of the passen-
ger trainmen would suffer wage losses
from this bill and that 1t could bene-
fit only about fifty percent of the
freight service trainmen. Under this
law, he showed, man, to received his
days pay must actually work eight
hours.
Law Not Satisfactory.
'"This law Is not satisfactory to the
brotherhood men, to the railway man
ayers nor to congress, and the Lord
only knows what President Wilson
thinks of It," Watson said. ut abro-
gates the power Of the unions and
shoves them back a quarter of CEN
fury before the unions began their sue
cessful policy of collective bargaining
with the railway managers-a policy
that made the trainmen the highest
paid class of workmen in the world.
President Wilson now proposes, to pre-
vent further complications which
brought about this unfortunate Adam
son law, program of compulsory arbi.
tration-a plan absolutely repugnant
to all trades unions. Mr.. Wilson has
sold you railroad men a gold brick.
81 have no abuse for any Democrat;
its bad enough to be Democrat with
out being abused for it." Watson re-
marked in opening his discussion OF
the tariff law. The crowd laughed
heartily.
He said the present campaign was
the greatest waged in this country
since 1896 when William Mckinley
was elected president. History is re-
peating itself this year, as it has a
habit of doing" he said. "The para
mount questions are involved in this
campaign, one a problem of war, the
other problem of peace.
"In 1860 when Lincoln was elected
president he was confronted with a
problem of war and a problem OF
peace. His war problem was when
the union was rent asunder on the
rocks of the slavery question. That
problem he settled with stern force
and magnanimous justice. His peace
problem was represented in the Walk
er free trade tariff of 1916, then opera |
tive. He substituted for this law the
first Republican protective tariff law,
and his peace problem had been salts
factorily solved.
Faces War Problem.
'In 1896, when Mr.. Mckinley was |
elected president he was confronted
with a problem of war and a problem
Of peace. His war problem was solved |
by forcing Spain to withdraw it's con-
touch from the western !
hemisphere. His peace problem was
represented in the Wilson free-trade |
tariff law This he solved by the sub /
stitution of a Republican protective
tariff.
"The next president will be Charles
Evans Hughes and he will be confront. |
ed by problem of war and a problem |
IF peace. His war problem will be
Mexico, providing Mr.. Wilson con-
inues his present spineless and vacil-
ating Mexican policy. Perhaps our
foreign policy now in vogue may pre-
a X