New Britain herald., 1916-01-31
EIGHT HOUR DAY
 COMPLEX PROBLEM
Railroad Employe Declares Re-
 garding Proposed Demand of Men

New Haven, Jan. 31-The railroad
 employee, speaking of the announced 1 intention of the four national
 brotherhood organizations represent l Ing the railroad train and engine l serVlce, to demand for their member 1 ship an eight hour work day, says: Because the employees organiza- eioAS are to make demand upon the corporations for an eight hour day. does not in our opinion. implv the
 summary tieing up of traffic on the
 4oS railroads of the United States.
 or even the severance of an under
 s'anolng between the organizations
 and the managements which it has taken more than thirty years not
 without sacrifice on either side. to
 upbuild
 The eight-hour day as it's pro- visions would apply to every class of traln and engine service, is at best, a highly complicated problem, and we ooubt 1t either the leaders of the employees organizations formulating these demands, or the railroad man. agers, can, at this early stage, sal lsfactorily explain what it would mean in either schedule arrangements or company revenue were the short CT work day to obtain; nor is there l to our understanding, any guarantee 1 III sight that the eight-hour day, as 1 applied to road service, would prove as generally satisfactory to the en- ployees as the present existing ar engagements governing this class of railroad employment.
 Other Phases.
 And there are other phases bear Ing on the situation which, in our oplnlon, will warrant the most thoughtful and painstaking consider:- Con by both sides, in which class pre- Judlce or political expediency should play no part, with the thought ever ln mind that in the final anaIysis the American public will render a verdict on the merits of the controversy from which there can be no appeal.
 we had hoped to live to see tho lay Tn the railroad life of this conn., ny when questions, such as this would De solved by reason and ius- Ice rather than by force or political necessity, and this does not imply nat we are advocates of peace at he price of honor
 Only Available Weapon.
 Admitting the unquestioned rieb+ T the wage earner to leave his em- loyment, and conceding that this is he only available weapon at hi. ommand to employ as last resort men right as he may see it is denied I'm, we are entirely in accord with ne expression of man whom wa onslder among the ablest students Of l 1e labor problem in America, who is & lmself an active member of one of 1 - le big railroad brotherhoods that it &
 better to argue for a year, than F strlke minute rather than in 'mpathy with the reported statement another leader that the member lip Of his organization must be repared to strike in order to secure le elght-hour day.
 The greatest element of danger l lerefore, that presents itself in the l 'rthcomlng controversy as we see ii.
 the action and influence of certain 'ganization members on the one in a real strike and con- quently have no conception of what 1 dustrial warfare fought to the fn h really means; of the misery and ] & 'lvation that inevitably follow in 5 wake, not to mention the engen- cred hatreds that a generation can- )t efface.
 May we not hope in the present = stance that wisdom tempered with 1derstanding will in the end pre- lil?"