Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-08
A POLITICAL "FRANfE-UP,?
From the Railway Age Gazette. ]


"On August a man in Washington
who is usually we'll informed regard
ing what is going on behind the
scenes in that city wrote remarkable
letter to a prominent business man in
New York-remarkable because of the
accuracy with which it forecast sub
sequent developments. 4 copy Of this
letter was handed to us on August S,
and We kept it to see how good a
prophet the writer of it was. We
quote from this letter as follows:
"'I believe there is an understand
ing between Gompers, head of the
American Federation of Labor, and
the Administration, that this strike
which is threatened, will not hurt the
Administration. ! am further given
to understand that Gompers has as
sured the President that an opportun-
ity will be given him to make capital
out of the difficulty. This is to be
done in this way: The men are to re-
ject all compromise offers by the rail-
roads; they are to look askance on
the mediation offered by the Board of
Mediation and Control (conciliation)
thus giving the President a chance to
intervene personally and bring both
sides to the White House. The propo-
sition which he will submit will in all
probability be accepted by the Cabor)
leaders, thus putting the onus of rejec-
ton of his services on the railroad
men (officers). If a commission is
appointed under these circumstances
it is easy to see how 1t will not be en-
tirely friendly to the railroads
Now, then, was the man who wrote
that letter prophet? He certainly
was! Cd Gompers is supporting Will
close touch with both the White
House and the labor brotherhoods.
CD The men did reject all offers made
by the railways. CD They did look
askance" at mediation and refused to
join with the railways in asking for it.
ID They did give the President
chance to intervene personally and
bring both sides to the White House.
60 The President did make a propo-
sition which the labor leaders imme-
diately accepted, thus putting the onus
of rejection of his services entirely on
the railroads.
But we are getting a little ahead
of our story. The Chamber of Com
merce of the United States had asked
for an investigation by the Interstate
Commerce Commission. The railways
asked for this before the strike vote,
and again during the mediation. Pres
ident Wilson invited both sides to
come to the White House, but on Au-
gust II, before doing this, he wrote
letter to the President of the Boston
Chamber of Commerce, which was i'm
mediately published, opposing the
submission Of the matter to the COM
mission. In other words. he publicly
rejected the railways proposition be-
fore they had an opportunity to pre-
sent it to him. Furthermore, he
made a proposition indorsing the
brotherhoods' demands for a ''basic
eight-hour day in the very first stages
OF the conferences at the White House.
and admitted he had decided to do so
before the railway officers called on
him. And on April Messrs. Stone
and Lee were saying in speeches in
st. Louis that they were absolutely
conndent OF winning out, but that they
were going to do a certain thing
which only the presidents of the four
organizations knew about, and that
they did not propose to tell anyone
what this was, but that it would be
the deciding factor in winning out in
this fight." The last piece of evidence
needed to establish the case was af-
torded by Chairman Adamson of the
House Committee on Interstate Com
merce after negotiations between
President Wilson and the railway ex-
ecutives and managers had begun.
In August "a the Atlanta Constitution
said regarding conversation between
its Washington correspondent and Mr..
Adamson which occurred on August
%: Mr.. Adamson said he had a con-
ference four months ago with the
President, and conclusion was reach-
cd as to his course at that time"