Arizona republican., 1916-08-19
EMPL0YES ACCEPT PLAN; PRESIDENTS CONSIDERING
WHILE MAKING NJ STATEMENT
 HEADS OF RAILROADS INDICATE
 OPPOSITION TO WILSON PLAN

The president urged them to dem onstrate a spirit of concession and to assist him in settling the controversy. Tonight the railroad officials had an- other long conference at their hotel.
 Employees representatives held two meetings during the day, one of sever al hours, for speechmaking and ballot ing on the presidents proposition, and the other a short one, for announce ment of the result of the vote.
 Some of the presidents expressed the conviction tonight that the negotiations with the White House would not be concluded in few days. and that each point involved would be thoroughly considered by the executive heads of the roads before any definite position is taken. While the presidents have kept in touch with the situation as it developed here, it was said tonight that their attention had been largely per functory and they did not have com prehensive first hand information of the negotiations.
 As one railroad head pointed out to- night the questions in issue involve the operation of 250.000 miles of railroad, one fourth that of the entire world, and their solution may have a far reaching effect on laboring conditions l throughout the United States. With l 400 900 railroad men assured of an | eight-hour day. some of the operators | feel it would be a question of only a | short time until laboring men in some of the great industrial concerns of the | country would be making demands for an eight-hour day also Echoes of this | feeling are expected to reach the | White House as this view is spread | throughout the country
 Railroad men present at today's con | ference, and White House officials. de- clared tonight that the president had not talked of government ownership of 7 railroads as possibility in the future | in case of a strike
 | Persons in a position to be familiar with the attitude of the officials out 1 lined the position of the railroads to- night as follows:
 "The position of the railroads is that ! they are standing out for the great | principle of arbitration and that they i cannot surrender this principle under ] the threat of a strike or under pressure | from any other source"
 There never was a time during tho day that the presidents proposal could not have been rushed through the em ployes' meeting by big majority | Brotherhood leaders were in no hurry
 to have a vote taken for several req
 sons. They wanted the railroad
 presidents to meet with the president
 before submitting their answer
 Opposition to the plan, which Wal
 scattered. always was good -natureC
 and most of those who objected dis
 cussed effects on their immediate lo-
 calities rather than probable genera
 railroads.
 Housing cheers. however, greeted tn. final approval of the plans. Ever
 greater secrecy surrounded the move
 ments of the employees today than yes
 terday when it seemed that they ha,
 taken every possible precaution to safe
 guard their deliberations. All con
 nected with the meeting refused a
 first upon leaving the hall. shortl
 after noon, even to commit them selves as to whether a vote had bee
 started. Finally. one of the brother
 hood officials said the vote was unde way but uncompleted. Half an hou later the canvassing board, which ha ! been left in the hall finished it's coun and reported 10 the four brotherhoo
 heads at their hotel The result wa
 announced in the general meetin 2 when it reconvened at 2:30 D. m. Tn 2 brotherhood officials then slipped ou |. through a rear door of the hall care i. fully avoiding everyone, and hurried \ \ the White House with a solitary type :. written report of the decision an handed it to the president.
 Before leaving they again assure him that any news regarding the negC
 tiations must come from him and upo . returning to their hotel. declined pos U lively to discuss the result of their d, n liberation.
 70 The president was preparing to E
 Continued on Page Five)