Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-09-04
PRESIDENT SIGNS
NAME TO MEASURE
AVERT|NG STRIKE
Bill Exacted From Congress
as Price of Peace Be- .
comes Law.
NO CEREMONY ATTENDS
AFFIXlNG OF SIGNATURE
Plans Are Changed, and Wilson
Writes Name in Car at
Union Station.
NO QUESTION OF LEGALITY
TO Avoid Doubt Over Sunday Sign
ing. lie Will Resign IL
on Tuesday.
QUESTION OF LEGALITY
ing. lie Will Resign IL
on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON September 3.-Thc
Adamson eight-hour-da bill. exactcd
from Congress last week by tho rail-
~ ing off tho natiou-wide strike order
for tomorrow. wa. si=Hcd by prcsi-
dent Wison TO-DAY Ia his private cat
Mt tho union station. where he stopped
on his way from Shadow Lawn. y. j..
10 ITojEcnSillc. Ky. That there may be
no question As to the legality Of the
measure as a result of i, having been
signed on sunday, tho President will
affiH his signature again upon his re-
turn TO Washington next Tuesday.
LENGTH OF PEACE
AWAITS DIIEI.OPMENTS
How long peace shall reign as re-
suit OF tho bin apparently IS dcpcn-
dent upon Developments in tho propos-
ad move 20 test tho constitutionality
OF the act. Shonld tho railroads tHke
no action. but await the beginning OF
an Investigation OF the workings of the
eight-ho day by tn. special com
= mission for which the measure pro-
,ides. The brothcrhoods viii remain
inactive. The employees leaders de-
clare. however, that should the law
be held Unconstitutional and tho rail-
roads attempt TO restore the ten-hour
day on their lines, a strike will follow
promptly.
Brotherhood heads. in a circular let
ter TO their members o-day. made no
, comHyent on the measure passed.
! They merely pointed ou, that II would
not become effective until next Janu-
, AIRY l, and that many things might oc-
cur between now and then which
would change materially any sugves-
tions or comment they might make
None OF the brotherhood leaders wit
messed the signing Of the bill. They
had expected. according TO the tenta-
| tive arrangements made by Secretary
Wilson last night. TO be present but
the President decided To attend to the
business at the railroad station and
newspaper correspondents gave them
their first intimation about It. The
four pens used by the President in
signing the bill will he presented to the
four brotherhood heads. A. Il. Garrett
son, W. G. Lee, W. :. Carter, and w. s.
Stone. after being used for re-signing
the bill on Tuesday.
NO CEnEM0NY ATTENDS
SIGNING or MEASURE
No ceremony attended the signing
to-day. II originally had been plan
NED that the President should go to tho
White House. hut this was changed
and. instead. Rudolph Forster. assistant
secretary 20 the President; took the
bill TO the train. Near the car window
group Of trainmcn i'll their overalls,
paused in their work long enough to
watch tho President write his name,
An engineer. passing or q yard engine,
celebrated the occasion with several
prolonged blasts OF his whistle
While at the station the President
also signed several commissions and
executive papers and sent Secretary
Tumulty TO the home OF Majority
Leader Kern. Of the Senate. to urge
that the Senate pass the Webb bill
passed yfterday by the House. de-
signed to permit American firms to
utilize common selling agencies abroad
without violating the sherman anti
trust law.
Later the President and Mrs. Wilson
took an automobile ride about the CITY.
During their absence tho private car
was attached To Il special train carry
ing guests OF the Lincoln Farm .,sso-
citation bound for IIodgenville to par-
tfcipate i'm the exercises incident 10
the transfer of tho log cabin in which
Abraham Lincoln was horn, to the Fed
erhl government to-morrow, at which
time the President will make an ad-
dress
ORIGINALLY HAD CALLED
STRIKE For AUGUST 20
II developed to-day that tie brother
hoods, before summoned to W;f%linr-
ton by President Wilson three wec,;s
ago. had agreed to call n strike ef
fective on August 20. The orders thev
drafted were used when tho strike
finally was set for Labor Day. After
having been printed in preparation for
the proposed strike OF Angus: -, they
we're locked in Il vault in New York.
decision week ago last Saturday to
order strike the following day. when
'hc majority OF the committee of Gao
were leaving for their home, was fol.
lowed by a hasty trip to New York
oy Two representatives of the brother
moods. The strike date. September 4.
was filled in with a rubber stamp. hut
the original date OF the call in Au.
gust was not changed.
Hundreds OF kilograms came to the
brotherhood leaders mt their homes to-
day. Most Of them were congratula-
tory. One or two were from locals
which had received no notice that the
Strikc was off, so Tomorrow morning
In some few fnr-away sections OF the
country there may be temporary diff
rnlties Efforts were being made to.
night to communicate with all these
points. circular letter drafted by w.
q, Lee and giving the complete details
OF citations since last August /, as
well as copy OF the Adamson bill
CONTINUED on Second Page.)