Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-11-17
Van Hise Says Regulation Of
Wages by the Government
: ) United /, r, Is Inevitable
--iv eyer is Syyeet
CONGRESS CAN FIX BOTH
DAYS WORK AND WAGES
Has Already Done So On Sew
eral Occasions, and
May Again

Washington, Nov. 17.-Warning that
railroad men may "hold up' congress
at the next session if they are success
full in the present Adamson eightbour
President Charles X. VanHise OF Wis
consin university to the national coun-
Gil of the United States chamber of
commerce.
Should the courts grant the appeal of
railroads to enjoin enforcement Of the
Adamson eight-hour law, the work of
the commission appointed to investigate
its application to railroad operations
will be held up temporarily, General
Goethals, chairman of the investigating
commission, said today. Goethals left
here this afternoon for New York,
where he will meet with the other mem
bers Of the commission next Thursday.
The work of the investigators up TO
January l, when the law is designed
to go into effect, will be informal Fol
lowing that date its action will be gov
erned by the decision Of the courts in
the pending suits.
A new angle in the fight Of the rail-
roads was presented to department of
justice officials today when il was
learned that in suits filed at Milwaukee,
| plea is made to enjoin railroad employees
from collecting wages under the law.
The pending litigation was made the
object OF discussion today at special
meeting of the United States chamber
Of commerce. The executive council of
the chamber urged "an immediate in
vestigation by the interstate commerce
commission of all facts relevant to the
present railroad controversy"
No Holdup Permissible.
Whether the last election had any
thing to do with the passage of the
Adamson law" VanHise said, lyon can
judge as well as l.
"Four hundred thousand men held up
the governing power Of the United
States, The ignominous situation may
be repeated indefinitely unless courage
is exhibited in future matters of the
sort which was not exhibited in this
case.
"The railroad brotherhoods must not
be permitted to hold up the people of
tn United States and at the point of a
pistol demand we must receive what
we want, or one hundred million people
| will be subjected to enormous losses and
suffering
VanHise said regulation of wages by
the government is inevitable. The fiyst
thing that must come is an amendment
to the Newlands act which will prevent
calling of strikes or lockouts.
The entire railroad problem was
threshed out during the sessions to-
day.
Has Changed Labor Hours.
Congress has the undoubted right un-
der the constitution to prescribe both
hours of labor and amount of wages,
not only for railroad employees but for
others in interstate commerce, Repre-
sentative Adamson, vice-chairman OF
the joint congressional committee on in
terstate commerce, told the chamber.
1.-THE commerce clause of the constr
tuition, knows no limitations" Judge
Adamson said "Congress passed first
law limiting railroad work to 40 hours,
then the IL hour law, then laws limiting
a day 3 work to l3 and even nine hours
for some classes of work.
"If the two classes of railroad men
fight, congress viii fix the rights and
duties in the interest of the people"
Judge Adamson said he is unalterabfy
opposed to government ownership as u
solution Of the public utility problem.
Government ownership would put
the country in the hands of the rail-
roads, he said "'The roads would
be capitalized at S25,000,00 900. There