New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-30
End All Strikes,
Is Wilson's Plea
In Speech He Says Is Necessary to Safeguard ruoc iof
All Time Against Recurrence OF
Industrial Battles.
Washington, Aug. P9.--Presiden'
Wilson's address TO Congress on inc
railroad dispute folloUs:

Washington, Aug. 99.--President
Wilson's address TO Congress on inc
railroad dispute follows:
have come to you TO seek your as
sistance in dealing with very grave
situation which has arisen out OF inc
demand of the employees OF the ran
roads engaged in freight train service
that they be granted an eight-hour
working day, safeguarded by payment
for an hour and half OF service TOT
every hour Of work beyond the eight
The matter has been agitated Tor
more than n year. The public mas
been made familiar with the demands
of the men and the arguments urged
in favor of them and even more famll-
Jar with the objections of the rail-
roads and their counter demand tnat
certain privileges now enjoyed by
their men and certain bases OF pay
mont worked out through many years
Of contest be reconsidered, especially
in their relation to the adoption of an
cight-hour day.
The matter came some three weeks
ago to a final issue and resulted IN a
complete deadlock between the par
ties. The means provided by law FOR
the mediation Of the controversy
failed, and the means Of arbitration
for which the law provides were re-
jected. The representatives of the
railway executives proposed that the
demands Of the men be submitted IN
their entirety TO arbitration, along
with certain questions of rendjust-
ment as to pay and conditions Of en-
ployment which seemed to them to be
either closely associated with the de-
mands or to call for reconsideration
on their own merits; the men abso-
lutely declined arbitration. especially
if any Of their established privileges
were by that means to be drawn again
in question. The law in the matter
put no compulsion upon them.
Men Voted to Strike.
The 100000 men from whom the de-
mands proceeded had voted to strike
if their demands were refused; the
strike was imminent; it has since been
set for September next. 1t affects
the men who man the freight trains
on practically every railway in the
country. The freight service through
out the United States must stand still
until their places are filled, II, IN
deed. il should prove possible to tll
them at all. Cities will be cut of
from their food supplies, the whole
commerce Of the nation will be para
lived men of every sort and occupa-
ton will be thrown out OF employ,
ment, countless thousands Will IN an
likelihood be brought, IT may be- 10
the very point Of starvation, and a
tragical national calamity brought on.
TO be added to the other distresses Oh
the time. because no basis OF accom-
mediation or settlement has Deeh
found.
Just so soon as il became evident
that mediation under the existing law
had failed and that arbitration had
been rendered impossible by the attl-
tude of the men ! considered IT my
duty 70 confer with the representatives
of both the railways and the brother
hoods and myself offer mediation, not
l.. I,,. =
man of the nation, in the interest OF
Justice. indeed, and as a friend of both
parties, but not as Judge, only as the
representative of one hundred millions
Of men. women and children who would
pay the price, the incalculable price. OF
loss and suffering should these few
men insist upon approaching and con-
Guiding the matters in controversy be-
tween them merely as employers and
employees, rather than as patriotic citi-
Zens of the United States, looking be-
fore and after and accepting the larger
responsibility which the public would
put upon them.
Plea for Eight-Hou Day.
Il seemed to me, in considering the
subject matter of the controversy, that
the whole spirit of the time and the
nomic experience spoke for the eight
hour day. Il has been adjudged by the
thought and experience of recent years
a thing upon which society is justified
in insisting as in the interest of health,
efficiency, contentment and a general
increase Of economic vigor. The whole
presumption of modern experience
would, it seemed TO me, be in its favor
whether there was arbitration or not,
and the debatable points to settle were
those which arose out of the accept
ance of the eight-hour day rather than
those which affected its establishment.
|. therefore, proposed that the eight
hour day be adopted by the railway
arrangements and put into practice for
the present as substitute for the ex-
listing ten-hour basis Of pay and SER
vice; that | should appoint, with the
permission of Congress, a small COM
mission to observe the results OF the
change. carefully studying the figures
of the altered operating costs not only,
but also the conditions of labor under
which the men worked and the opera
tion of their existing agreements with
the railroads, with instructions. to re-
port the facts as they found them TO
the Congress at the earliest possible
day, but without recommendation: and
that. after the facts had been thus dis
closed an adjustment should in some
orderly manner be sought of all the
matters now left unadjusted between
the railroad managers and the men.
Supreme Court Quoted.
These proposals were exactly in line,
il is interesting TO note, with the posi-
ton taken by the Supreme Court OF the
United States when appealed to to pro-
tect certain litigants from the financial
losses which they confidently expected
if they should submit to the regulation
II IA 81. Oh q r.-na md Of fhcir Il, of n nds