Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-08-18
RAILROAD HEADS
ARE SUMMONED
TO WHITE HOUSE:
Wilson Will Put His Plan to
Avert Strike Before ,
Them.
CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD
AT 9 O'CLOCK THIS MORNING
Their Attitude Uncertain, but
They Are Believed to Oppose
Eight-Hour Day.
EMPLOYEES LIKELY TO ACCEPT
Nlcn Expected to Make Favorable
Answer at Their Meeting
To-Day.

WASHINGTON, August l7.-Prcsident
Wilson today laid his plans for avert
ing the threatened railway strike be-
fore the employees committee of $40,
and. having found the managers COM
mttee adamant to his proposal that
they accept the eight-hour day. he an
peaied to the railroad presidents and
asked them to come to the White House
for conference.
There is every indica ton that if the
railroad presidents sustain their man.
ayers. President Wilson will appeal
finally 10 the financial powers which
control the roads. for it is his purpose
to deal with the ultimate authority
before he gives up his effort.
EIGHT-HOUR DAY is BAsIS
OF PRESIDENTS PLAN
The Presidents plan. which is ex-
pected to he accepted formally by the
employees committee at a meeting at
. o'clock tomorrow morning. pro-
poses:
An eiEht-hour day as the basis for
computing wages.
Regular pay at the eight -hour-day
rate for overtime.
To refer all other collateral issues
to small commission TO be created
by Congress. on which the employees,
the railroads and the public would be
represented.
Acceptance OF the proposal by the
employees was forecast by expressions
of their leaders after they left the
Presidents conference. One of them
declared: The men would he fools nos
to accept it,"
The attitude Of the railroad presi-
a t.
arriving tonight: all are expected to
! be here Tomorrow. No one can say
what will he the effect OF an appeal
such President of tho United
States. speaking in the name OF the
welfare OF a nation, can make, but from
such information as can be gathered 1t
appears that the railroad presidents, it
the managers committee understands
them. are unalterably opposed to con-
cedinG the eiGht-hour day, or anything
else out OF hand. but arc quite ready
TO arbitrate anything and everything
in almost any form OF arbltration upon
which the employees and the commit
tee may agree.
PRESIDENTS WOULD MAINTAIN
PRINCIPLE OF ARBITRATION
The railroad presidents it Is under
stood. Justify their stand upon the broad
ground OF maintaining the principle of
arDitration. which, il sacrificed in this
instance, they intend to tell the Presi-
dent, Will be destroyed as a factor in
the settlement OF industrial disputes.
IL the railroad presidents persist in
that view and are supported by the
financial powers, only tho future can
tell the outcome .
The conference tonight between the
railroad presidents and the managers
committee developed further indica-
tons that the magnates were to he
hacked up by their chiefs in the at
t!tude they had adopted toward the
PRESIDENTS proposal.
we nave gone over the situation
thoroughly" said one of the presidents
as he left the conference, ''and we
agree thoroughly in every particular
with what the committee has done"
with the growing seriousness of the
situation Congress began paying more
real attention to tho crisis to-day. and
there were many indications OF inter-
Nention to prevent q nation wide tie-up
The general expectation is that the
railroad officials, after seeing the Presi-
dent Tomorrow, will ask that they he
given several days. perhaps IA week or
more, TO consider their course 1t was
emphasized by those Of the officials who
arrived Tonight. however. that all OF
these plans were tentative a score
who came from New York or a special
train went into session soon after their
arrival with the managers committee,
and II was said that one Of the posi-
hilitieS under consideration was the
preparation OF Il statement TO he given
out before their visit to tho President.
putting their position before the coun-
try.
WILL TAKE STRONG APPEAL.
TO REVERSE ATTITUDE
While the railroad presidents would
not make amy predictions until they
familiarized themselves with the situa-
tion here. there was more than one
indication that 1t would take a strong
appeal to induce them 10 reverse the
attitude that has been taken by their
representatives on the mana gers conf
mittec
Asked IL the managers would be
backed UP in their decision, President
willard. Of tile Baltimore and Ohio.
sad Il assume they Will be-.