Arizona republican., 1916-08-22

sponsibility of failure will not res: with me.
 T wish you to consider tne consc- quences az affecting the people of the cities and countrysides ce a failure to agree. The country cannot live f the means of keeping alive is vitality are .atertered with The lives and for turxs Of 100. 900. 600 men. wcmen and little ones-manv of whom may die depend upon what maY be done in this room. l appeal to you as one American citizen 10 another to aysrt this disaster"
 The president spoke in Il more in- timate fashion than he has in any Of the previous conferences. He re ferred to the disastrous effect which T strike would have especially at this time when every ounce of Amer ican energy ard initiative mas 10 be m0bilized to meet the extraordinary situation which will emerge out of the European war
 Reiterating that t was impossible for him to bring about arbitration under present conditions the presi- dent declared it was necessary to discuss practical methods of avert ing n strike. The war. he said. hao taught this country that II car nc longer remain isolated and provin- eiai: that bv reason of its position In tie affairs of the world. we must be reG d% to play our role as one of the dominant influences in the worlds affars.4 and that in order to meet the exigencies of new world conditions the varied business and economic interests of the nation must he brought together into an harmcni- ous whole.
 Our great national resources can not be made available or mobilized in this emergency as a necessary part Of national defense he added, unless i tie railroads are made serviceabie i instrumentalities of backing up any ! plan Of national preparedness. The railroad executives did moi enter into an argument with the president but Hale Holden, presiden. 1 of the Burlington and spokesman for 1 the road promised deep considerations ! of tho plan and said the officials would seek to reach an agreement as soon as possible,
 ! Messages on the situation continued to arrive at the White House all day l Many upheld the presidents position and many others urged him to sup port the railroads in their demand i for arbitration Petitions signed bS l 10000 non-union employees Of thf
 Pcnnsvlvania rilroad opposing strike were taken to the White Hous, during the day, making total ol S0.0o0 signatures attached to such pc i titiona.
 4 F. Garfetson, spokesman for tho 1 brotherhoods tonight declined tt i make any comment on the railroad manaRers' statement. Any reply 10 I he shid, would be in the form of ar official statement tomorrow.
 i Mir. Lees statement follows;
 That the railroads should grant under threat of national strike. 'I $50, ,000,00 wage preferment to a smal
 minority of their employees, without [
 hearing before public tribunal, is in i conceivable in d democracy like ours All questions at issue-wages, hours
 costs, operating conditions-these ar
 submerged by the greater issue: Shal
 arbitration be abandoned in the settle
 ment of industrial disputes?
 If we are to throw arbitration int
 the scrap heap what hope can there D
 in America for industrial peace in tn
 future
 "A nation wide strike is unthinkabl
 when the railroads are urging that al
 the matters in dispute be placed befor
 any tribunal constituted by public au