Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-01
LAWS WILL PASS In
TIME TO STOP STRIKE
[ContInued From First Pagel


The President himself went to the
Capitol soon after o'clock this morn
ing to hurry things along.
The Senate Interstate Commerce
Committee got to work early on its
bill for an eight-hour day and an in
vestigating commission.
In the House the Rules Committee
assembled to report a special rule and
have 1T ready for the House when 1t
meets at IL o'clock, providing for
vote on the Adamson bill not later
than 4:30 o'clock this afternoon. The
Adamson bill has been approved by
the President and the heads of the
railway brotherhoods have said that
It's passage by both Houses of Con-
gress will be considered a satisfactory
settlement.
Railway Heads Do Nothing
The railway heads, having voiced
their protest against the legislation,
did nothing to-day awaiting its out
come.
Barring unforeseen complications it
seemed assured to-day that Congress
would act finally before Saturday
night and in time for the brotherhood
heads to call off the strike set for Z
o'clock Monday morning.
When the Senate convened, a recess
was almost Immediately taken until
l p. m. to permit the Interstate Com
merce Committee to continue its work
of drafting the strike prevention leg
lslation and to permit Republican
members to confer on the proposed
bills.
President Wilson spent almost an
hour comforting with Democratic
members and then returned to the
White House.
Keeping Threads Together
Definite abandonment of the plan
to attach the railroad strike legislation
to the pending bill to enlarge the
Interstate Commerce Commission was
agreed by the Senate Committee.
The President explained his pres
ence at the Capitol by saying;
II am just keeping the threads to-
gether."
Majority Leader Kern said after the
Presidents visit that the Democrats
would concentrate on the eight-hour
bill and put over the rest of the rail-
road legislation until next week.
Many Democrats felt there would be
little disposition among the Republi-
cans to filibuster against the eight
hour bill in view of the present situa-
ton.
The Senate committee determined
there was too much opposition to the
Interstate Commerce Commission en-
the emergency legislation.
Consider Freight Increase
AS the bill stood this morning the
Senate committee had agreed that the
new commission should Consider an
increase in freight rates to meet such
additional expenditures by the rail-
roads affected as may have been rem
dered necessary by. the adoption of
the eight-hour day and which have
not been offset by administrative re-
adjustments and economics, should the
facts disclosed justify the increase"
Some members We're seriously in
clined to the belief that such definite
direction regarding the rate question
would provoke opposition in the Sen
ate from Progressive Republicans
particularly, which would make quick
passage of the bill impossible.
Senator Newlands said the commit
tee also was considering including
provision to empower the Interstate
Commerce Commission to fix the
schedule of wages upon railroads.
We will have to do this some time
and might as well do it now" he said
He also was inclined to urge the COM
mittee to include in the eight-hour
bill some features of the proposed
amendment to the arbitration act
which would prevent future strikes
during investigation. There seemed to
be little prospect that the committee
would agree to that because of the
certainty that it provoke opposition.
President Wilson, it was said, had be-
come convinced that the only thing
that could be done at once was the
passage of the eight-hour bill and
had urged that the Senate bill adhere
as closely as possible to the Adamson
| bill in the House.
AS agreed upon to-day the Senate
bill would make the eight-hour basic
day effective January /, 1917, and ap-
| ply to railroads of one hundred miles
or more in length. eXempting electric
street and electric interurban rail-
ways.
BY o'clock the bill was expected
to be ready for the Senate.
The Adamson bill was faVorably re-
ported by the House Interstate Com
merce Committee which amended it
to make the eight-hour provisions eff
fective January l next instead of De-
cember l and so as to exempt electric
railways.
The bill was Immediately reported
to the House which met at II o'clock. |
Meantime the Rules Committee held
meeting and without any changes
favorably reported the Kitchin rule |
providing for two hours of general de- |
bate on the bill and vote on the bill |
and any amendments in the House at
4:3O o'clock this afternoon. Mem |
bers of the Rules Committee said un- |
der that rule the bill should be passed |
by the House shortly after o'clock |
this afternoon.
Senator Norris the first to leave the
Republican Senate conference, said |
each member would be left free to act |
as he thought best. He said the con-
ference had been devoted largely to
explanations of the deliberations of the
Interstate Commerce Committee by |
Senators Cummins and Brandegee
who are members. Personally Senator
Norris said he favored passage of the
eight-hour bill with a provision tnat
the Interstate Commerce Commission
have power to regulate wages of all
employees on interstate carriers from
presidents down, as we'll as rate in
creases. He said he saw no reason
why the commission should not con-
slider the added burden put on the
carriers by the eight-hour day bill in
considering requests for advanced
freight rates.
Efforts still were being made to in
duce the brotherhoods to call off the
strike order but they were standing
firm not to do so unless the eight.
hour bill becomes a law before Satur-
day midnight. They felt something