Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-09-03
what steps. II amy. may be taken TO
test this has not kccn Indicated.
nutCk ACTION FOLLOWS
ny NROTlII;RIIOun HEADS

sstlUtCk ACTION FOLLOWS
d. BY BROrHi:RIIOun HEADS
Ks Quick action by the brotherhood
SSsShcads followed the action in the SEN
sp1tc.. No doubt existed in their minds
Ssthat President Wilson would sign the
Sss;bil1 as soon as il was handed to him.
The measure embraces virtually all
&Sof tho Presidents original proposals To
the employees and the railroad heads.
although it is only part OF the leHiS-
4 f1ativc program he took To Congress
I last Tuesday when his negotiations
had failed
1ssusnce of the orders OF caucclla-
ton followed meeting of the -four
S91brotherhood heads and thirteen remain
L ing members of their committee of 6io
Some opposition to acting before the
!. President actually had affixed his sig
nature was evidenced in the meeting.
II but in tho end the seventeen voted
unanimously To call ,sr the strikc I'M
q lncdiatcly. All of the code messages
had been prepared in advance. and as
s8Quickiy rs tho decision was announced
4 clerks rushed to the telegraph offices
& with arnloads nf trh messages
No two of the more than $40 dis
i patches were alike one OF them read:
LIT is reported thai "a big fire is raging
3 in Toronto" Another said: There is
4 danger Of your house burning down
Tomorrow, Even the brotherhood
4 heads did not know what all the mes
saSes contained. tho composition OF
them having been left 10 clerks
S ORIGINAL rLAN ABANDONED
no FACILITATE: TRANSMISSION
The oriSinal plan 10 wait until the
: president had signed tho hill before
q calling off the strike Mas abandoned,
$in order 10 facilitate transmission OF
the messages, II Was thought that if
the order Was not SEM on; until to-
morrow many small telegraph offices
probably would he closed. and tho 600
! or more local charncu. all Of whom
in turn are 10 receive messages from
3 tho Gao general chairmcn. might not bc
advised. The argument also Was al
Nanccd that newspaper publicity to-
i morrow morning throughout tho coun-
try would be OF great assistance in get
Z tins The word TO tho employees who
would he affected by tho strike.
- The four brotherhood heads were in
sANitcd tonight To he present tomorrow
&morning when President Wilson signs
sthe bill. The President viii use four
pens in sniXinc his signature. and each
of them aftcrward as a souvenir. Sec
<4rctary Wilson, of the Labor Depart.
s mcnt, went TO the brotherhood mems
Z hotel tonight and completed arrange
J. mcnts for the ccrcmony
\ The falling OF thc Gavcl on the
passage OF the bill iu Tho senate to-
might marked the end Of dramatic
and precedent breaking week in Con-
sress When President Wilson, failing
10 bring the railroads ana brothcrhoods
{ 10 an agreement turned Ia congress
for relief, he madc uuannounccd trips
TO the Capitol to consult leaders about
appearing before Congress In person to
lay the situation before it. Hurried
arrangements for the ceremony were
made, and the President addressed a
joint session MI Tuesday, suggesting:
legislation which included the pro-
\ visions OF the BILL but wen, much
farther 10 provide means 81 pr"y"ntin,:
future difficulties and for handling milf
( tary trains in the event OF Il strike.
< SENATE EVENT. AII.N
- ACCEPTS HOUSE MEASURE:
Committees OF both houses went to
work at once. and the President paid
daily visits To the Capitol. The House
on Friday passed only the eight hour
bill providing for the investigation.
The Senate Interstate Commerce Com
mittee first drafted tentative bills
covering the Presidents whole pro-
gram, but eventually abandoned all Of
il 10 substitute the House measure
The bill was PASSED in ;hc Senate
following determined efforts by senator
Ncwlands. chairman of the Interstate
Commerce Committee; Senator Under
wood. Of Alabama, and several other
Senator'S TO amend it The Democratic
Senator'S mentioned insisted that Con
Gress should provide. as President Will
son had urged, some measure 10 pre-
went such crisis ever from arising
again. They declared Congress was
showing tho white feather: thai +, was
afraid 10 go farther ,hfp merely 10 pre-
: vent tho threatened .6iLr s'r"i,hc 81 tho
moment. They proposed That the In
1erstatc Commerce Commission should
hc given authority in rho future TO fix
wages and hours Of service Of railroad
employees, thus forever taking tho
question Of labor DISPUTES out OF tn.
Z strike danger zone. They fought yajnly
TO the last against overwhelming odds.
Republican Senators and n fcw oI tho
g Democrats declared unhcsitatiuEly tina,
IS Congress WAS being cocrccd. dictated
* TO, driven under the gun TO the pa $ e.
sage OF the cight-hour bill without any
provision Of a permanent character.
Other Senators. chiefly Progressive
Y Republicans. among ''l.m Cummins.
Kenyon and Norris, said that labor was
y getting bad bargain. "a braAsy gold
81 brick "humhuG," aud that They were
d conccdinG 10 Congress tho night to
y 1cGislate on the question az wages Il
concession which, in th"jr opinion. the
100000 traium"n OF the organizations
:,
5 should be put t" them for It vote
MUST ACCEPT HOUSE
nliL no AVERT sTUII< r:
Senator Reed. taking MP til" cudgcls
for tho brothcrhords in tho closing hour
of debate. asserted that y quorum %;
the House was not III WASHINGTON.
mat, Therefore, IL would be ilnpOssibi.
10 pass tho bill If amended IN amy par.
ilcuiar Ia time Z" avert tn" strike on
Monday and thai Congress would t..
blamed for the disaster II ii were not
stayed IT, accordance with tn" plar