Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-10-28
Special to Times-Republican,

reply to President Wilson's defense of
his course in settling the threatened
railroad strike thru the enactment Of
the Adamson law. His speech at Cedar
Rapids last night was, in part as fol-
lows:
THE great public advantage in or
ganization and combination Of capital
and OF wage-earners we all recognize.
The one vastly increases the product
OF human energy and enterprise, the
other puts the wage Garner on an
equality with his employer in dealing
with wages and the terms of his en-
ployment. Corporations and trades
unions are therefore necessities of mod
ern economic society that are perma-
nent and necessary. The power they
acquire. may, however, become so great
as to tempt to serious abuse and public
Injury, and they have, done so. Hence
we have had the antitrust law and
the interstate commerce law, directed
chiefly against combinations Of capital
but affecting in some measure combin-
atoms of labor.
Wilson's Unwise subservieney.
Labor leaders have sought exemp-
tion from such laws as a privileged
class and On some cases they have been
successful. While Mr.. Wilson in one
of his memorandum attached to an
appropriation bill avowed his opposition
to such class legislation, he united with
the democratic congress in passing, at
the demand Of the unions, the Clayton
act, which, the labor leaders claim,
takes unions out of the limitations of
the trust act and denies to employers
and the public the ordinary legal rem
edies against collective labor wrongs
to business.
UnWdse subserviency to the demands
OF leaders of organized labor finds it's
GROWING instance. however, in Mr..
Wilson's dealing with the threatened
strike of the railway orders Of conduc-
tors, engineers. trainmen and switch
men. The orders claim to control 40G.-
600 men who run the freight and pas
senger trains Of the country, which
constitute the arterial circulation Of
commerce and are necessary not only
to the business but to the health and
life OF the people Were these men
able to tie up the railways of the coun-
try, as they said they could and would,
II would mean enormous loss In bus.-
ness and great deprivation and suffer-
Ing to the public. 1t would mean that
many millions Of other workmen would
be thrown out Of employment and lose
the high wages they are now receiving
because without commerce local in
dustries can not proceed
The railway unions said to the rail-
way presidents: We wish an eight
hour day, with ten hours pay, and If
we work more than eight hours we de-
mand 30 per cent more an hour for the
extra hour. II you do not give us this
we Will not only injure you but we will
bring disaster to the country The
railway managers refused the demand
but offered to submit it to arbitration.
They said it would increase their cost
OF operation S60,0O0,o0O and that this
would have to come out of the pockets
lof the railway stockholders by reduce
ton OF profits or out of the shipping
public by an increase of rates. They
said that such change ought not to
be made except after trial by board
OF arbitration in which all parties in
terested might have hearing.
The labor leaders said they had had
arbitration in the past and that it was
not satisfactory. that now unless their
demands are fully granted, no power
under heaven could prevent the strike
with its disastrous consequences. Mr..
Wilson summoned the parties before
him. After q conference with the labor
raiders he held conference with the
railway presidents and told them ne
decided it was fair for them to grant at
once an eight-hour day with ten hours
pay but that he thought the question
Of allowing so per cent more per hour
for every extra hour should be SUBJ
mitted to arbitration. He said the
etght-hour day could not be arbitrated,
that modern society had demanded It.
He said this in the face Of the fact
that he had signed q bill providing for
the arbitration Of questions of dispute
arising between railway employees and
their employers involving wages and
hours of labor.
Merits Of Controversy Not Involved.
The labor leaders accepted the pro-
posal Of the president and agreed not
to strike If they got their ten hours
pay for eight hours work and a pro.
portionaAe increase Of pay for extra
hours. The president then applied to
congress to pass law requiring the
railroads to grant to their employees
ten hours pay for eight hours work
each day. Within the short period Of
FOUR DAYS. without Investigation or
consideration, congress passed the law.
1t is doubtful il the strike would have
been as injurious in its results as the
men threatened to make 1t but still II
would have been most embarrassing.
Under the duress Of the threat, the
president Of the United States and con-
gress succumbed. 1t was one OF the
greatest national humiliations to which
the people of this country have ever
been subjected. 1t struck most blow
at the principle Of arbitration for the
settlement Of Industrial disputes.
The. issue Of this controversy II
not whether the men were entitled to
more pay than they received. The men
rcHde. good and highly skilled SER
vice. They may deserve an iherease of
pay or reduction Of hours. The eight
hour day when practicable may be
conceded to be Of great ADVANTAGE. The