Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1916-08-22
Committee Appointed to
Pass On Issue With
Railroaders.
TODAY's CONFERENCE
Hale Holden Heads Body That Will
Determine Answer of Presidents OF
Companies.

Washington, Aug. 22.-Sixty rail
road presidents, representing practl
cally all the systems of the United
States, expect to give President WA
son their reply tomorrow to his pro
posal for averting the threatened rail
road strike.
1t will be a virtual acceptance Of
the Presidents proposal, carrying the
concession of basic eight-hour day
with pro rata overtime equivalent TO
a 20 per cent. increase on overtime
work, according to those in the con-
fidence of the railroad executives, but
it will carry qualifications to which
it is hoped that the President and
brotherhood officials will yield.
Washington, Aug. 22.-The railway
executives this morning gave out the
following statement:
."Mr. Hale Holden, president OF the
Burlington, as spokesman Of the rail-
road executives, who are conferrin2
with President Wilson on the railroad
waee problem, announced this morn
ing that a committee from the three
score executives now in Washington
have been named for the general con-
sideration of the questions involved.
"The members of the committee
are: Hale Holden, of the Burlington
and Quincy; W. w. Atterbury,
Pennsylvania; Fairfax Harrison, o1
the Southern; R. S. Lovett, Union
Pacific; E. R. Ripley, Atchison, To
peka. and Santa Fe; Alfred H. Smith,
New York Central; Frank Trumbull,
Chesapeake and Ohio; Daniel Willard
Baltimore and Ohio.
"The committee is in continuous
session considering the situation, and
it is understood that no conclusion has
yet been reached"
Washington, Aug. %. = AS one
American citizen to another, Presl-
aent Wilson yesterday appealed to
each of the executives of the :country's
principal railroads on grounds OF pa
triotism to accept his plan for avert
;nu the threatened disater of nation
wide strike.
He emphasized the necessity for
keeping the railroads in service as
q part of the national defense, and
to make possible preparation for
meeting conditions that will exist al
ter the European war.
On leaving the White House the
railroad presidents, augmented DUR
ing the day by arrivals from the
West, held conference at when
sentiment was said to be against
agreeing to the Presidents propose
in its present form. Hope was ex
pressed, however, that some satisfac-
tory counter-proposition might be ad
vanced. and it was decided to turn
over to committee the task OF draft
ing final reply to the President.
With more than 60 men, most OF
them with their own deas: about wha'
ought to be done, the executives toune
it difficult TO "get down to brass
tacks.s as one of them expressed Il
Today another meeting was held aae
every effort made to reach decision
promptly.
The railroad heads still insist thai
President Wilson is asking them tf
sacrifice the principle of arbitration
Elisha Lee, chairman of the Natlona
Conference Committee of Railways
ed statement last night in which
he said: THAT the railroads shoulf
grant, under threat of a nationa
strike a s5O,OOO,OOO wage PREF
to small minority of their employees
without hearing before public trl
bunal, is .inconceivable in demo
cracy like ours. All questions at lssu
wages, hours, costs, operating con
ditions-are submerged by the great
er issue: Shall arbitration be aban
doned in the settlement of industria
disputes?"
The statement suggests, however
that railroads stand ready to TAX
whatever action the people of tn
country desire. It concludes:
"The weight Of public opinion mus
& .. ~: