Evening star., 1917-03-19
side would make any statement at that
time.
Seemed Strike Was to Be Called.


Secretary Lane standing in the door
way of his room plainly indicated that
the mediators had all but reached the
limit of their appeals-and apparently
| without result. The strike, it was un-
derstood. would go on as announced
without a further truce, unless some
thing unexpected intervened. The first
| intimation that the strike had been
averted came unexpectedly at 12:45
o'clock this morning, when a represen-
I tative of the railroad managers con-
ference called up the Associated Press
and announced: THE strike is off" Sew
eral hours elapsed before the settle
ment agreement was signed and the
brotherhood chiefs telegraphed division
officers resembling the strike order.
w. G.. Lee, head of the trainmen and
spokesman for the brotherhood CHIEFS,
declared today that the settlement of
the controversy was 1.-The greatest vic
tory ever won for labor"
Nearly 100000 men," he said, have
won the eight-hour day without sacri-
ficing cent of their money for it. We
are now in position to go back to our
men with the greatest thing ever put
over for labor"
Advices from Baltimore, where mem
bers of the brotherhoods had struck
and refused to return to work, had
been received, giving assurances that
the differences had been settled, he
added
History of Controversy.
The controversy between the rail-
roads and their employees began in
June, 1915, when members of the
brotherhoois in Boston passed resolu-
tions favoring an eight-hour day, with
double pay for overtime. However, it
was not until the following December
that demands were formulated by the
national heads of the organizations.
These were modified somewhat from
the original draft made in Boston and
were voted on by the workmen in all
parts of the country during January,
February and March, 1916. They finally
were served upon the railroads, with
the announcement that an answer
would be expected by April 19 of that
year.
The railroads in the meantime had
declared that to accede to the demands
would mean an increase in their COM
bined salary lists of approximately
S100, 600, 200 q year and that they would
thus be deprived of paying dividends.
Numerous conferences followed, all
ending abruptly and finally q general
strike order was issued. to become ef-
fective in SeptembeT President Will
son then intervened, summoning the
railroad heads and the several hun
dred district heads of the four brother
hoods to Washington. The strike order,
however, was rescinded only after the
President had appeared before Con-
gress and secured the passage of the
eight-hour law.
This act, which was to have become
operative January l last. was at once
attacked by the railroads and the ques-
ton of its constitutionality taken to the
Supreme Court.
The contention of the brotherhoods was
that the railroads were seeking to avoid
its enforcement through legal technicali-
ties. They demanded that it be made eff
fective al once. regardless of the fact that
it had not been passed upon finally by
the Supreme Court, but that was re-
jected by the railroad managers. 1t was
then decided to call the strike Saturday
night.
President Again Takes Hand.
President Wilson, again alarmed at the
seriousness of the situation. apDOinted