The Devils Lake world and inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1915-1920, 1916-09-14
WILSON AND ORGANIZED LABOR.

If one could get into the mind of Woodrow Wilson, not the outer
ep WRst Pet r eaS ,@ fhinfs r Of orssn III %G }abor es ' The presiden mt S opin:
ions. as they reach the public, are chameleonic: One cannot m tel tell
Subject. +na Ace s;daa f to the nsv old s MT &;,s %isS < M mf feo2 s0 TsiiRsr.
q change me aR his mind !: : sometimes c sssi n !" = Which v idbe is H' Understood to to mean only
e edee as epaoS alt Mif the %s9 op aaS HRsn s 5e eG q f B%t " Mr. e3 %iison
changes his views as the weather vane changes it's position, ana
voiutions Of his brain there must be some relatively fixed opinions,
and if we could know just what they are we could know just what
A Very short time ago Mr.. Wilson was distinctly %unfriendly to
the graduating class Of Princeton University in June, 1909, he dis
cussed the labor question in the following words:
day. It is to give as little as he may for his wages. Labor is
N5ieh # is ms sy the To c taasas un'S %o o aeG is ta Suffered Is saf to s@ do more re
than the average workman can do; in some trades and handl-
fellows can do within the hours allotted to a days labor, and no
one may work out of hours at all or volunteer anything beyond
! need not point out how economically disastrous such q r rsg gu
l so%e t Of 3esG It 1xi p pt IS na yn not be worth tS i his %hE1s TO attempt aasa %
anything at all. He had better stop altogether than operate at
an Tine %e1 lsber Of fn America @Hss'i IS Sa 'eszi becoming Improbable under
its present regulation by those who have determined to reduce
Our economic supremacy may be lost because the country
gFeMi m %Sst a %oo %iss wi Wilson e5 u tSeSsst sso ssfg crgsnized labor in
1909. Deep down within him he may think so yet. But circurn-
t tSaf t is a Ssst S to fhinf v zuSs It IS best { to t t think IA; many ny s"6selb-
ers: Mr.. Wilson has recently moistensd the tips Of his fingers myers
We We do not need to consult the Weather Bureau to know the result
Of his primitive, meteorological observations: President Wilson
ts aon o sf t fssG Uaite s4 states and brings y I'll the e American Eric Congress es HsSt to
Der, and thereby forever relieved from the need Of the labor vote,
would his mind, in the course of its revolution, return to the opin-
ion of 1909? Or is the opinion of 1909 the deep and hidden opin-
ion of today? 1t would be interesting to know the truth.
We understand that actions are being brought by the Great
Northern and Santa Fe to test the constitutionalty Of tas, ADAM n
eon aa of Of the rail roads IS that this bill Ills is unconstitutiona will be
upheld. The courts of this country, both of the State and the
United States Supreme Court unanimously have held that the
Legislatures and Congress and the State and Federal Rail Road
Commissions may fix reasonable rates of transportation of passen-
ur an dfrioht hit that. to be reasonable the rates must be such
ae to enable the railroads affected by them to be operated so as to
return a reasonable profit on the investment. u
The Courts, and especially the United States Supreme Court,
hold that if the rates as fixed are SO low as to compel the rail roads
to be operated without a I reasonable return of profit on the invest
ment or at a loss, that to enforce the operation of the doars at the
rates fixed, would be depriving the railroad companies Of their
property without due process of law within the meaning of the
amendment to the United States Consultation. ~