The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1916-12-06

at any rate before the nation shal
have had an opportunity to acquain
- itself with the merits of the case be
. tween employee and employer, time t
form its opinion upon an impartia
statement of the merits, and oppor
tunity to consider all practical mean
of conciliation or arbitration. car
see nothing in that proposition bu
the justifiable safeguarding by soce
ty Of the necessary processes of its
very life. There is nothing arbitrary
or unjust in it unless it be arbitrary
and unjustly done, It can and shoulG
be done with full and scrupulous re.
gard for the interests and liberties
Of all concerned as well as for the per,
manent interests Of society itself"
The Presidents Address.
Gentlemen Of the Congress:
In fuliillment at this time the duty
laid upon me by the Constitution of
communicating to you from time to
time information of the state of the
Union and recommending to your con.
sideration such legislative measures
as may be judged necessary and ex-
pedient | shall continue the practice,
which | hope has been acceptable to
you, of leaving to the reports of the
several heads of the executive depart
ments the elaboration Of the detailed
needs of the public service and confne
myself to those matters of more gen.
eral public policy which it seems nee
essary and feasible to deal at the
present session of the Congress,
| realize the limitations of time un-
der which you will necessarily act at
this session and shall make my sug-
gestions as few as possible; but there
were some things left undone at the
last session which there will now be
time to complete ana which it seems
necessary in the interest of the public
to do at once.
In the first place, it seems to me
inperatively necessary that the ear
liest possible consideration and action
should be accorded the remaining
measures of the programme Of set
tiement and regulation which | had
occasion to recommend to you at the
close Of your last session in view Of
the public dangers disclosed by the
unaccommOdated difficulties which
then existed, and which still unhap-
uily continue to exist, between the
railroads Of theconutry and their loco
motive engineers, conductors, and
trainmen.
| then recommended:
First, immediate provision for the
enlargement and administrative reor-
ganization of the Interstate Com
merce Commission along the lines en-
bodied in the bill recently passed by
the House Of Representatives and now
awaiting action by the Senate; in or
der that the Commission may be en-
abled to deal with the many great
and various duties now devolving up
on it with a promptness and thorough
ness which are, with its present con-
stitution and means Of action, practi-
cally impossible.
Second, the establishment Of an
eight day as the legal basis alike
of work and Of wages in the employ
ment of all railway employees who
are actually engaged in the work of
operating trains in interstate trans
portation.
Third, the authorization Of the ap-
pointment by the President of a small
body Of men to observe the actual re-
suits in experience of the adoption of
the eight-hour day in railway trans
portation alike for the men and for
the railroads,
Fourth, explicit approval by Con-
gress of the consideration by the In
terstate Commerce Commission of an
increase of freight rates to meet such
additional expenditures by the rail-
roads as may have been rendered
necessary by the adoption Of the
eight-hour day and which have not
been offset by administration read
justments and economics, should the
facts disclosed justify the increase.
Fifth, an amendment Of the exist
ing federal statute which provides for
the mediation, eonciliation, and ar
bitration of such controversies as the
present by adding to it provision
that, in case the methods Of accom-
modation now provided for should fail
a full public investigation Of the mer-
its of every such dispute shall be in
stituted and completed before a strike
or lockout may lawfully be attempted.
Ard, sixth, the Judgement in the
hands of the Executive Of the power,
in caseof military necessity, to take
control Of such portions and such roll
ing stock Of the railways Of the conu-
try as may be required for military
use and to operate them for military
purposes, with authority to draft into
the military service Of the United
States spsh train crews sad admins.