The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-08-30

President Wilson took the railroad
situation to congress yesterday ana
in a lengthy address outlined leglsla-
ton designed TO prevent the threat:
eled strike and prevent recurrence OF
a similar situation in the future. Inc
address in full follows:
The Presidents speech TO Congress
follows:
Gentlemen of the Congress:
| have come to you TO seek your AS
siStancc IN dealing with very grave
situation which has arisen out Ul lnc
demand OF the employees of the railroads
engaged in freight train service that
they b. granted an eiSht-hour ~orklhs
day safeguarded Icy payment for an honE
and half U: service for every houF ol
rork bhyond the eight
The matter has been sgttated for more
than year. The public has been MADE
familiar with the demands OF the men
and the arguments urged in latoF Sl
them. and even moro familiar with tn:
% jcctiouS of the railroads and tnclr
counter demand that rcrldin pTlFilcs"S
now enjoyed by their men And certain
basis Of payment worked oul through
many years Of contest L.: recunSldcrtH
especially in their relation 10 me aoop-
ton Of An eight-hour day. The mAtlcr
came some three weeks ago ~ ilnai
issue and resulted in Il complete ueau-
lock between the parties.
The means provided by law Tor Inc
mediation Of the controversy ialieu an"
the means Uf arbitration for Whlca IN"
law provldcS were rejected. The repre-
srnra,lycS of the railway executives pr"-
tossed that the demands % me men III
submitted in their entirety It" aFoi'Ia-
ton, along with certain questions ol lt
adjustment as To pay ana cohuiltonS W
employment which seemed 10 thcm 10
be either closely associated WITH inc at
mands ar 10 call for reconsideration IN
their own merits: the men apSoiutcii
declined arbitration especially IL an! Va
their established privileges were d! lhdt
means TO be drawn again IN qutStIuit
The law IN the matter put no rpmPul-
sion upun them. The luVgpu men lEoII,
whom the demands proceeded, had Nutru
to strike if their dcmandS were feluSeu'
The strike was imminent; IL has since
been Sc; for the 4th Of september. ntNt.
II affects tho m"n who man INC irels ~
trains OH practically every railway IN
tic coun,ry: The treigh 1s,. seFT mes,
stand still until their places arg illl Ell
ii. indeed, il should prove possible TO ~
them al all Cities Will, by cut OIL lrolI
their food supplies. the whole conmercn
nf The naliun will ~ 'paralyzed. men
~ Vary SCR, and occupation will be
thrown out of rmploymcnI EuuntieSS
thousands will III all Likelihood ":
brought. II may be-, tn nc very PONY 81
s,arvalio ion. and IL traSiral national ca,
amity brought On, I" ~, ,,u,,,yo ~,
other distrcsscS OF the time because no
basis of accommodation Or settlement
has been found. ;I,, ,h,,
Just us soon as il became evident ina
mediation under the cNistlnS ldm n"u
failed, and that arbitration mao oeeit
rendered impossible by the attitude u
The men, | considered IL my duty ~ Son-
fer with the REPRESENTATIVES pl u orI
the railways and the DrulheTHpouS OF" az
myselt offer mediation. mot as an arp,
lI,t ,,1rrIlE SDOkCSTnd VI lI'S
nation in the interest OF luSutt. ~
decd, and as a friend ol Dotn pa. 80
but not AS judge. only as me rert go go.
,atiy. of ono hundred millions oI WcU'
women and children. who would pay INC
nrjce, the incalculahlc price az loss anu anu
Suffering should these lew men Mss
upon approaching and r"nr!uu!'s nono
matters in controversy Dcl wccn -
,,,errlv AS cmplu3cr S and employees Ia.n
or than As patriotic rltlzchs % r ~
Iinited states booking before ana dit.I
and accepting the Larger rcSpohsiTn,tI rS
which the public would put upon 'nT e'h
II seemed 10 me IN '"nslutLnns ,ha, tIIe
Ice, matter o: tho controversy maj oioe
whole spirit NJ the time and the preP"n
dcrant evidence IF recent ctouoIut'
pcriencc spoke for INC clEnt-h"
II has, been adjudEed by the Lho 49,
and exnCricncc of recent wears q ln!ie
npon which society Is JUSTIFIED IN mss;
inr AS in the interest Of health, c"iS
encv' contentmcnt and general m
crease Of economic NlSor. ~ r;e,,rS
presumption Of modern cNperdc ,,n,.
prouId il seemed 70 me. be in its favor
".hrthcr ,hcrr Was arbitration or ,nnl,
and The hrbatahlr points l." sctlie Wer '
those which arose out Of the acceptanCc
of the eight hour day rather IMAM ''''o
proposes EightHour Day.
therefore proposed that Inc eiEnt
hour day he adopted by the ral1WfH ~
managc,nents and put INTO rIHet ~ ~.
the present as SupSt'lu,e ~, srryicc.
listing lO-hour basis nj pay ana SSrn ,,,,
that / should appoint. Win inc P r, NJ
si"n of Congress. a small com nlsS.n,'
10 observe the results ~ tno ~ ,he
carefully studying the hSu ny, ,,,Iy hut
altered operating costs. not nhiH, ~, ~
oiso thr conditions of labor under VIII.
Tho m.u worked and the nl"Fa.ior ~
their existing agreements win s1'r Tho
roads, with instructions " ~ t,nn-
facts as they found them !" In ~,
rrrss NJ The earliest possible daE, ~.
without recommendation; ana thal, ~
tho facts had been thuS dlsrioSCu a., ,,,: a.,
iuslmrnt should in some orQctnS nnw
49,. bt sought of. all the matters now
left unadjuStcd het"cch '"N
managers and the men. .,,. i, limo.
These proposals were cNactlE III ~
il is interest ing TO mole. WIN me nc
ton taken Ivy the supreme I"9' m nro-
,ort certain litigants from me nnah,iad;
iosscs when they confidently cNPetisu
If they should submit 10 me EeSui ,nods
Of their charges and nt insIr nv The
court has held that il would nnt uR rao
80 IN form 4 judgment upon ioLiE
caSts bur could base its action onit
npon actual experience: mat ~ IL
he surrlcd win ;,, faSsS' b mV; scion
=, ;s,ailr aticmr,cd. To undertake 10 a.
hitrain tho question Of the aIoptIos" ~
rn cicht-hour day in the hcha o al
~ tIl
suits mcr,ly csllmatco anu rrrise Of
would he 10 undertake an chtELP ndor.
49, o,,;no,,,rc 40 wise man could unaerI
,.Ec II or if hc did undertake II cou'O
fccI assured Of his conclusl .,dI,,
unhesitatinEly onerco N n The
.or,.irns, of the administration 70 ..e
services =" 10 see to 1t that JUS
TO- vas done the railroads IN the on
cnn,c feel warranted IN aSsu! w W.
thnm that no obstacle OF Ia" W. ~ thair
suffered 70 stand in the way % he
n 1IlTs resulting from the change SO SO
rnr ,s the development OF thelr ou fs
nnss and of their aGminiStrattNe nnt
,,icrcy did not prove aoequale
them. The public n9o mo, I'M inetised in as
ain .i,, ,bcmt were disposed to notniiTIS
hut issticc IN such cases ano wcrc VIM
~ ~ scrvc those who served mem
The representatives oi me ronro.
hooIs accepted the plan: but the rrP' -
no,rr Of tho railroads declined I"
s s%ncn, it, In the face Of what can
not hut regard As n" Er ;a,s1y C obleed
~ ,ha '.on r"' Inc tirht-hour day BY the
10 acc"rd1 .,rI;on Of organized labor:
6onE"d hv tn" Favorable judsmsns s,i Hr
s SSrE the r"rrcs NATIVES Of the ram IN
way mana -emcnl have telo Sust'" Which
da n,!i6 Engage all the forces Of justice,
w Hh,:1. and nriva," on their side 70 take
r srn IF '' ~. event. They feel the hos,