Norwich bulletin., 1916-08-21
President Replies to Officials.

President Replies to Officials.
 While the negotiations took no ac- tuai forward step today, the president replied indirectly to contentious of the road officials that the principle of ar bitratiOn would be endangered by his plan for putting the eight hour basis day into effect while a commission in Vestigates its practicability and pass eS upon other points at issue. In telegram made public at the White House, the president declared he held firmly to arbitration as a principle and that his plan strengthened rather than weakened it. He also said that some means must be found to prevent the existing situation from ever arising again.
 Magnates Continue Conferences. Meantime, the road officials, who have tentatively refused to accept MT. Wilson's proposal continued confer ences among themselves. The labor leaders, who already have approved ! the proposal, marked time awaiting a definite decision from the employers. 1 Appeal from George Pope. l The presidents telegram defending | his plan was in reply to an appeal | from George Pope, president of the 1 National Association of Manufactur- l OitratiOn be preserved in the strike i CTS, urging that the principle of ar 1 negotiations. MT. POpe's telegram fol- 1 lows:
 l 'sHartford, Conn, Aug. IS, 1916. 1 "The President, The White House: l "Ou behalf of thirty seven hundred i manufacturing organizations employ ! ing three million persons and utterly l dependent upon uninterrupted railroad i service for their operation, l beg at once to express our deep appreciation i of your efforts to prevent the threat ened stOpDage of national railroad i service and to respectfully urge that you will with all the power of your 1 great office and personality assert and maintain the n ciyie of arbitration Tor ndJTtrial disputes affecting na- l tiOnal intercourse. No just demand ] can fear such 9 test; no unfair de- l mand can or should survive it. We ] sincerely believe no man in our his ] tor yhas possessed such an CppOrtn- ] itE to fOrtify this essential principle of public security against future at l tack by employer or emplOye.
 George Pope. President Nationa 1 Association of Manufacturers"
 President Wilson's Reply.
 The president replied:
 Allow me to acknowledge the re- ceIpt of your telegram Of August 1StI and to say in reply that l hold tC the principle of arbitration with a. clear a conviction and as firm a pur. pose as any one, but that unfortunate ly there is no means now in existence by which arbitration can be secured The existing means have been trie. and have failed This situation mus never be allowed to arise agin but i
 has risen. Some means must he found to prevent it's recurrence, but nt means can be found off hand or in hurry or in season to meet the pres ent emergency. What I am propOsin, does not weaken or discrsdit the prin ciple of arbitration. It strenethens il rather. It proposes that nothing b. conceded except the eight hour day
 to which the whole economic move ment of the time seems to point ant the immediate CTtation of an agenc, for determining all the arbitraI ele ments in this case in the light, not O predictions or forecasts, but of estab
 lished and ascertained facts. This the first stage of the direct road |
 the discovery of the best Dermanen
 basis for arbitration when other mean 1 than those now available are sup
 piled"
 No Outward Developments.
 There were no outward develop ments today pending arrival of tn additional railroad executives to whor the president sent invitations yester day, Louis W. Hill, president CT tn