The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1916-12-07
EIGHT HOUR DAY
As LEGAL BASIS
PRESIDENT LAYS MUCH STRESS
ON MEASURE.
AN INCREASE Of FREIGHT RATES
He Would Also Increase the Interstate
Commerce Commission Member
ship and It's Facilities for
Manifold Duty.

son today delivered his annual mes
sage to congress. Problems brought
out by the Adamson Eight Hour meas
ure and the proposed increase oil
freight rates to meet such additional
expenditures by the railroads as may
be rendered necessary by the adop
! ton of the eight-hour day, occupied
a great portion of his attention. The
message in full follows:
Gentlemen of the Congress I'm full
filling at this time the duty laid upon
me by the Constitution of communi.
eating to you from time to time in,
formation of the state of the Union
and recommending to your considera.
Ition such legislative measures as may
! be judged necessary and eXpedient
shall continue to practice, which /
hope has been acceptable to you, of
leaving to the reports Of the several
heads of the executive departments,
the elaboration of the detailed needs
of the public service and confine my
self to those matters of more general
public policy with which it seems nee
essary and feasible to deal at the pres
ent session of the Congress-. "n"
] realize the limitations of time un.
der which you will necessarily act ct
this session and shall make my sug.
gestions as few as possible; but there
were some things left undone at the
last session which there will now be
time to complete and which it seems
necessary in the interest Of the public
to do at once.
In the first place, it seems to ME
Iimperatively necessary that the ear.
Hest possible consideration and action
should be accorded the remaining
measures of the programme of settle
ment and regulation which | had &C.
casion to recommend to you at the
close OF your last session in view of
the public dangers disclosed by the
Iunaccommodated diculties which then
existed, and which still unhappily con
tinue to exist, between the railroads
of the country and their locomotive
engineers, conductors, and trainmen.
l then recommended:
First, immediate provision for the
enlargement and administrative reor-
ganization OF the Interstate Commerce
Commission along the lines embodied
in the bill recently passed by the
House of Representatives and now
awaiting action by the Senate; in or
der that the commission may be en-.
abled to deal with the many great and
various duties now devolving upon it
with a promptness and thoroughness
which are, with its present constitu-
ton and means of action, practically
impossible.
Second, the establishment of an
cight-honT da vas the legal basis alike
of work and of wages in the employ
ment of all railway employees who are
actually engaged in the work of oper-
ating trains in interstate transporta-
ton.
Third, the authorization of the ap-
pointment by the President OF a small
suits in experience of the adoption OF
the eight hour day in railway transpor-
tation alike for men and for the rail.
roads. o..
| Fourth, explicit approval by the Con
gress of the consideration by the in.
terstate Commerce Commission of an
increase of freight rates to meet such
additional expenditures by the rail
roads as may have been rendered nee
essary by the adoption of the eight
hour day and which have not been off
set by administrative establishments
and economics, should the facts dis
closed justify the Increase.
Fifth, an amendment of the existing
federal statute which provides for the
mediation, Cancellation, and arbitra
ton of such controversies as the
present by adding to it provision
that, in case the methods of accommo
dation now provided for should fail
a full public investigation of the mer
It's of every such dispute shall be in
stituted and completed before a strike
or lockout may lawfully be attempted
| And, sixth, the Judgement in the
hands of the Executive of the power
in case of military necessity, to take
control of such portions and such rol
ling stock of the railways of the coun
try as may be required for military
use and to operate them for militar!
with authority to draft into the mill
tary service of the United States
such train crews and administrative
} officials as the circumstances requir,
for their safe and efficient use.
The second and third of the recon-
mendations the Congress immediate
lily acted on: 1t established the eight
, hour day as the legal basis OF worl
and wages in train service and 1t AT
, thorized the appointment OF commits
, sion to observe and report inon tn
r practical results. deeming these tn
) measures most Immediately needed
2 but 1t postponed action upon the oti
err suggestions until an opportunit
] should be offered for a more deiibe
: ate consideration of them. The fourt
!. recommendation ] do not deem II ne