New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-27

would cost him and his party dearly IN
the coming election. Not since the
Presidents negotiations with both sides
TO the controversy began two weeks ago
have the political aspects of the case
become so plainly apparent.
The whole proceedings had reached
the stage where il was desperate game
with big things at stake. No one real.
lied that more than the President ana
his White House advisers. Whatever
might come eventually the blame should
! not rest upon the Administration that
was Mr. Wilson's play. The railroads
} had their financial interests and future
welfare before them. The employees.
/ holding the trump cards at first, were
now gambling for what they had spent
thirty years to win and their opponents
were drawing big cards against them.
Union Chiefs Angry.
! When to-day dswned - the crucial
/ time. every one thought would
] have bet a fortune on a break one way
/ or the other before night. President
/ Wilson saw the chance of his career
! Shining away from him. The four
! brotherhood delegates, irritated. impa-
/ tent, chagrined, realized, too, that they
seemed to be losing the advantages
/ they had almost won hands down
/ through the Presidents espousal OF
| their cause at the outset They had
/ kept the faith. They felt that the
/ President had not kept IL with them
/ by permitting the railroads to delay ana
! bubble. ,,,
/ For this is what has occurred. When
I the President submitted his settlement
\ plan a week and half ago and the
unions accepted it public sentiment OF
| the country was aligned with him. The
burden of responsibility had been
passed to the railroads.
A strike would be upon their
shoulders. But they were llowed
time TO consider. The President played
his game harder When the conference
committee of managers grew recall
citrant he sent for more and more
executives He held the whip hand
I then and every one expected that
/ though the railroads would try to make
the best of a bad bargain, eventually
( they would capitulate.
Railroads Gain Ground.
Instead the roads have strengthened
their stand. They are more SOLID to-
day against Welding than they have
been since they came TO Washington
Ry adroit measures OF publicity ana
Z delay they have convinced great part
Of the public that he eight-hour day
plan that the President advocated on
moral grounds as a measure sanetionec
by society. and 10 which the whole
economic movement of the times tended,
when applied TO this railroad contro-
versy is not what it seemed, but merely
the public espousal Of what the roads
estimate TO be a S50,000,0G0 wage in
crease TO one-seventh Of all the rail
road employees III the country.
There seems no doubt that public
opinion has CHANGED toward the rail-
iload stand within the past week. With
that accomplished the roads were in
position to present their plan OF set
Element. which, analysed. comedies alb
solutely nothing in practice. They had
reached the point where without mueh
! risk from the great American jnry
with whose verdict the President
threatened them. they could pass the
burden of responsibility back TO the
President. That was the situation at
8 o'clock this evening. The roads
were simpy waiting for call from
the White House TO make their final
play.
President Is Stymied.
1t was uncertain then whether the
President would let them go on. APP
parently he realized during the fore
noon that he had been stymied-the
golfng term aptly expresses his posi-
ton At any rate he was not at the
White House when the railroad presi-
dents sent word TO him that they had
finished their deliberations. 1t was
shortly after noon. They had been in
N.ry willard FIR cpVpral
) hours and the complete draft Of their
reply 10 the President, stating their
ground and their eounter-proposal,h had
been turned over TO the executives
committee of eight to make last re-
visions in phraseology. They had TAX
en- an adjournment until 5 o'clock wait
ing for word from the White House, =.
"Before the day is over" said Daniel
Willard, president of the Baltimore q
Ohio, 1.-The question of strike or peace
will be settled"
A bomb might just as we'll have been
exploded in the New Willard lobby as
the announcement that the President
had gone to the Capitol. The railroad
executives and managers sensed the
significance of the move and sat back
complacently. If the President sue
ceeded in getting legislation through
If he did not, their plan was ready, the
public was waiting for it, the President
would have to act upon it or take the
blame for what occurred; so they did
not worry when the next bit OF lnfor-
nation waited through the lobby on
feet wings let every one know that the
President had gone golting.
Goes to the Capitol.
In the interim he had held half
hour session with Senator Newlands,
chairman of the Senate Interstate
Commerce Committee, and Senator
Kern, floor leader of the upper house.
Senator Newlands and Senator Kern
would have been perfectly willing 10
motor to the White House. They told
the President so when he telephoned
to them early in the afternoon and re
ouested the conference. No, he would
90 TO them.
President Wilson has made this I'M
usual practice more or less common
place during his term. But he goes to
Capitol Hill only when he wants some
thing urgently, and the visit to-day
accomplished all that one could wish
for in the way of the spectacular.
Senator'S Newlands and Kern were
waiting for him in the Presidents
Room in the Senate wing, and an army
Of correspondents besieged the doors.
Secretary Tumulty rushed up later IN
taxicab When the conference had
ended the President stepped out,
smiling, and announced to the be-
Sieging parties:
81 want TO relieve your minds. !
have been discussing with the Senators