Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-10-23
UNDERWooD's INTERPRETATION
or ADAMsoN BILL HAS
SERIOUS EFFECT.
FRANKLY ADMITS LAW
is NOT WHAT IT SEEMS
Underwood Refuses to Follow Dictates
Of Wilson Managers and Throws
Monkey Wrench Into Political Ma
chinery-Democratic Leader Con.
cedes Bill Merely Gives Wage Raise.

derWood of Alabama has thrown a
monkey wrench, into the machinery IN
his speeches in Indiana, according to
advices received at western republican
headquarters. Chairman VIII II. Hays
of the republican state committee OF
Indiana, in a statement yesterday as
serts CONSERVATION among democrats
fouowed Senator Underwood's talks.
lie says:
Democratic leaders Of Indiana are
in blue funk as result of Senator
Underwood Hat refusal to Stultny
himself in his speaking tour Of this
state.
He was told insadvance that 1t was
desira BILE that he pay special attention
to the Adamson law, but the manner
in which he did so has caused conster-
nation in the democratic ranks. lie
simply declared in his Indiana speech
es what he declared in congress: that
the law is not an eight hour law at all,
but wage raising law passed to avert
strike. This was the only defense
he made of it and his words fell like a
wet blanket on his audiences.
Democrats Try to Curb Him.
Fort Wayne is an Indiana railroad
center, and Senator Underwood, pre-
vious to speaking there in the evening,
spoke in the afternoon at the little city
of Auburn, where he frankly referred
to the AdamsOn law as a wage raising
measure passed 10 meet an emergency.
I am advised that large delega-
ton of Fort Wayne politicians took
the matter up with the senator and
emphatically told him that in Fort
Wayne he should call the law an
eighth hour law as his audience would
be composed largely of railroaders who
had been invited especially to hear him
discuss this statute.
Senator Underwood heard the dele
cations declarations and remarked: +
think. gentlemen. that i understand
you perfectly That was all.
His Talk Bomb Shell.
But when he spoke In Fort Wayne
ne proceeded to lay especial stress on
the fact that the Adamson law had
nothing whatever to do with the hours
Of labor, and that it was simply law
to increase wages, passed to tide over
a serious situation. He said:
1--WE were confronted with situa-
ton that threatened the welfare of the
entire country. The brotherhood men
would not arbitrate and there was no
way that congress could enforce arb-
tration except by the use Of a bayonet.
Something had to be done to save the
country from disaster and so we said
to the railroad managers: You can
pay the men % per cent more and we
VIII provide a commission to find out
whether you can pay it out Of your
present revenue" That is all there
was to it.
The speech is voted a calamity by
the local democracy. for it INDICATED
completely the republican contention
as to the Adamson law. and gave the
lie direct to President Wilson's claim
that his support of the statute was
based on principle rather than eXpedi-
ency." 3'.s
Railway Photographers For Hughes.
g. Dial Jones chief telegra pher,
Order Of Railway Telegraphers No. 81.
4 Chicago, comes out for Hughes. In
his statement he says:
There is strong suspicion among
thoughtful laboring men that the
cause of labor will experience more
harm than good from the Adamson
law. Instead of having a hand in fix
ing their own wages, the unions in
terested are now discovering that the
effect of the law is to take away from
them the right of collective bargain
ing.
THE United States government it
col III.
ing men, in other words were sudden
~ made to work at wages fixed by
law Theoretically, 1t might be fine
thing to have Uncle Sam fix ones
wages. But the average man would
ike to have something to say himself
regarding the amount Of wages he is
willing to work for. II Uncle Sam is
to fix wages, he may AK them
at low figure instead Of
high one. What would the laboring
man do in that case? The unions
could not oppose the act of Uncle Sam
without placing themselves in the at
titude of lawbreakers. No union or
set of unions could afford to oppose
the law Of the land.
Capital is shrewd, persistent, and
Influential in high places, Will 1t not
Immediately seize the advantage by in
ducing Legislators to fix wages by law?
Then the situation would be this:
Congress and the labor unions would
be direct antagonists. Which one
would win, in case congress and labor
should become involved in a struggle?
Far sighted labor leaders do not
want wages fixed by law They see
~ fo11 11l~ III,
capital could beat them in the game
of appealing to congress. They realize
that law made wages mean industrial
servitude. Labor~would be forced to
accept such wages or quit. To strike
would be q crime, punishable by fine
and Imprisonment. That is the newt
able outcome of system 81 law-made
wages.
The first attempt to fix wages by
law resulted in victory for the rail-
re ad brotherhoods. Would not the
second attempt result in victory for
capital as against labor? Who can
guarantee that a majority in congress
will always vote on the side of labor? ?
1t is said the brotherhoods secured the
law by making threat. Capital can
threaten, too. A threat by capital to
close down factories might frighten
congress into reducing wages during
hard times. The reduced wage scale
would not be merely the within Of capt.
tai, to be opposed by labor If it did not
approve. 1t would be the law of the
land. which labor would disobey at its
peril An individual might quit work
If he wished, but any concerted action
by labor unions might be treated as