The sun., 1916-08-23
THE POLITICIAN IN A Ma
TIONAL CRISIS.

United states informed the railway
heads that they must have a raise in
pay. They had been working ten hours
a day. They said they did not object
to that. but hereafter they wanted
eight hours to he paid for as q days
work. The extra two hours were to
be paid for at half as much again as
the day rate.
Inc railway managers figured out
that his meant a jump Of from a
quarter to nearly "a half in wages, ac-
cording to the overtime the men
worked. They SAID they could not
anord 1t. The men replied that they
must have an eight hour day.
There was a dispute about this. The
railway men said they had n perfect
right to use the term. even though
they did not mean by it eight hours
work and nc more.
II they did not get what they wanted,
said the trainmen, they would strike.
When the terrible consequences Of
such a strike were pointed out to them
they simply repeated that they would
strike II they did not get their kind Of
eight hour day.
The railway managers from the out
set offered to arbitrate the matter.
h trainmen from the outset refused
to arbitrate. They merely repeated
that they would strike If they did not
get their demands.
The two sides could not agree and a
strike became imminent. Mediation
failed. To avert a strike the President
OF the United States interviewed. He
| called tho railtAnx. ,,unnunrQ mud tho
trainmcn's executives to Washington.
The railway managers asked that
the President lend his influence to in
duce II trainmen to arbitrate. The
President did not do this. Either be-
cause he was thinking Of an approach
ing election or because he believed in
the justice OF the mems demand for
their kind Of eight hour day. or be-
cause he thought that he could settle
the dispute personally and thereby
gain prestige. or for some other rea-
son dictated by political considerations,
personal bias or personal vanity. the
President OF the United states relc-
gated arbitration to the outer dark
ness and decided to see what he could
do himself.
lie proposed that the railway man
ayers cede the eight hour day, that the
trainmcn yield on the question of
higher pay for overtime. and that a
commission study the working OF the
eight hour day and the other points at
issue.
After a little hesitation the train
men decided that this settlement would
be acceptable to them.
Tl,. ratlv.a,. ,,a,aunry eai1 that IN
accept this settlement would be 10
yield to the mems refusal to arbitrate
and to their threat to strike. They
asked the President not to uphold the
men in their threat of force, but to in
duce them to settle justly.
When the President and the rail-
way found that they could
not agree both sides went before tho
country.
At once public opinion began 10
form and manifest itself. II was
heavily in favor of the principle OF
arbitration. II said that the President
should not have concerned himself
with details Of the controversy. of
which he could naturally learn little
in a few days. hut should have bent
his energies toward making tn" men
accept arbitration. The public opinion
Of the United States saw in the l'res'-
dents attitude nothing less than Il
deliberate sanction OF the workers
threat Of force.
Hearing from tho public. the I'resi-
dent Immediately saw his serious blum
der. lie FASTENED to deny that he was
sacrificing the principle cf arbitration
- ,l., L.. .sArtfJ 1stt., a.lNsN.
cate 1t i'm the future. hut that II was
too late 10 employ 1t this time.
In his haste h" denied that there was
any tribunal that could act AZ arhi-
traitor. forgetting the Interstate Com
mercc Commission. the repository oi
all railroad knowledge and tho natural
arhitsr Of the questions AT stake.
The Presidents hlucdcr was do
tccted, but the President could not re-
pair II. lie had taken up a position
on the merits Of the question. He had
advocated the eight hour day OF the
kind the men wanted. H." could not
now advise arbitration. for he hac
committed himself on tn" chief q,ics'
ton that would have to re arbitrated
Rcsidcs. as President of he tnitc'
states he could not execute a righI
about face.
lie tried anNiously To hit upon som,
new proposal. hut he had exhausted his
invcutiveness with his original pro
erammc. No modification of IL was
likely To- prove acceptable. So he stucl
To IL. lie would force II upon the rail
way managers. II he did so his al
tempt at direct settlement would he {
success. and that would cXCrise every
thing. If he failed
II would he n double failure. !
would I've the failure Of his persona
effort and it would I've the failure re
sulting from his initial mistake ON thu
issue Of arbitration. With an election
coming on the possibilities of disastei
were too awful 10 contemplate.
So he stood to his mistaken pro
grammc and urged II more forc!bl,
than ever on the railway managers,
The railway heads felt that public
sentiment WAS with them, hut the,
realized that the force Of public senti
ment would not now influence tn
President of the United states. BE
fore they had had only their trainmci
To- deal with: now they had the ENe"u
tive with all his power and prestige
fighting them. The thought of thci
plight made them %rcscnttul, defiant
cynical and worried.
Pretty soon the railway manager
heard that they could effect "A trade,
If they gave in ON the eight hour day