Arizona republican., 1916-08-22
BALK AT SACRIFICE OF PRINCIPLE OF ARBITRATION
RAILWAY HEADS {. SEE PRESIDENT
 THEN CONSIDER
Ruana About 70 Throv Eu Hey Lot Wh he Entente Als RN
Republican A. p. Leased wlreJ

IeepubIican A. p. Leased WireJ >,
 WASHINGTON, Aug 21-As one American citizen to another, Presi- dent Wilson today appealed to each of the executives of the countryS principal railroads on grounds of pa triotism to accept his plan for avert ing the threatened disaster of Da tion wide strike. He emphasized the necessity for keping the railroads in service as a part of the national de- fense and to make possible prepara tiOn for meeting conditions that will exist after the European war.
 On leaving the White House the railroad presidents, augmented during the day by arrivals from the west held conference at which sentimnet was said to be against agreeing io the presidents proposal in it's present form Hope was expressed. however. that some satisfactory counter propo- sitiOn might he advanced. and if was decided to turn over to q committee the task of drafting a final reply to the president With more than sixty men, most of them with their own ideas about what ought to be done. the executives found it difficult to ! get down to brs ss tacks, as one or ! them expressed it.. Tomorrow morn ing another meeting will be held and every effort will be made to reach decision promptly.
 The railroad heads still insist that | President Wilson is asking them to sacrifice the principle of arbitration | Elisha Lee. chairman of the national conference committeeeof railways. is- sued a statement tonight in which be said:
 That the railroads should grant. iinder threat of a national strike. i $50. .000 000 wage preferment 10 small minority Of their employees. without a Tearing before a public tribunal. is inoonceiVable in a democ- racy like ours All questions at is ! suc-Wages. hours costs. operating conditions-are submerged by tho greater issue. shall arbitration be abandoned in the settlement of indrs- trial disputes
 The statement suggests However that the railroads stand ready to take whatever action the peonle and the
 country desire It concludes
 The weight of public opinion mus determine this issue. We cannot be-
 lieve that it is the calm judgment of
 the corInfr,- that we should sacrifics
 the principle of arbitration in indus
 trial disputes under 9 threat to tie un the commerce of the country
 While the officials were listening 'o
 President Wilson and later conferring at their hotel tfe general committee
 af 640 representatives of the err :
 nlovas Sl-o already have accented tn" presidents nlan held perfunefeTv rneeting and me~ked tinte awaiting
 fha decision of the employees. They saf9 they would wait until Presideuf Wilson dismissed them. llit stooe
 readv to coll a strike should the ne 90 'ations fail.
 t Althourh fev of the railroad ex . erutiveS invited had not arrived teis aftar~oon it was decided that thosf alraa6, in Wasfinrtor were Tepre-
 sertati~e. and therefe~e thn presiden'
 called them to ,fho White House and earnestly urged that his plan of ses- | tlernert be ratified.
 D q will not allow naSsion to eomf y into my thoughts in this solemn mat ter" he said "We are both acting a' f,-rstees of great interests. an . willing to allow this matter to gn t' y the great American inrv and let then 5 assume tbe responsibility. The re
 Continued on Page Two)