The Daily Missoulian., 1917-03-16
RAILROAD MEN.
MAKE STATEMENT
Say Action Is Not Unpatri-
otic-Forced by Railroads.
CONTINUED From Page one.)

the eight -hour day; that il the law
is held constitutional. they will not
agree to our Interpretation of the law
and desire to submit the application
of the law to arbitration. the MEM
ber4 of the eight hour commission be-
ing the arbitration board.
"On the other hand, IL the law Is
declared unconstitutional they decline
to make any settlement Of the matter
in controversy with us and again offer
to submit the matter to arbitration, the
members Of the eight-hour commis-
sion being the arbitrators.
IF the railroads are willings to sub
init either of these propositions to ar
bitration, it is evident that they are
willing to give their employees an eight
hour day il the arbitration board so
decides, but the roads themselves will
never grant the request directly.
Prolongs Controversy.
1--WE submit that this is an unfair
attitude for the conference committee
Of the railways to assume, for If they
are willing to grant the eight-hour
day through any method they should
be willing to grant it directly to their
employees and not prolong the contro-
versy. .5
"Thc public should remember that,
after having failed to reach an agree
ment with the conference committee
Of the railways last August, President
Wilson interviewed and attempted to
mediate our difficulties and after hear
Ing both sides of the discussion and
considering the matter for several
days, proposed settlement. which set
tlement is practically the same as we
have just proposed to the railroads.
The railroads refused to accept the
presidents proposition, when the pres
ident recommended to congress the
enactment Of law similar to his prop
osition. This congress did when the
railroads again refused to accept the
decision of congress, and have not yet
observed the law in single instance.
Waiting for War.
1T is apparent to us that the pur-
pose of the railroads is to avoid any
settlement Of the matter until such
time as thd country becomes involved
in war, in which they expect to es-
cape any settlement of whatever char
acter. Even though the supreme court
should decide that the law was consti-
tutional, we have noticed that they
will not accept our Interpretation
thereof. which Is practically the same
as the president proposed when he en-
acted the law; therefore, decision Of
the supreme court upholding the con-
stitutionality of the law would not
even indirectly secure for the employees
the purpose of the law.
Employees Patient.
1T goes without saying that rail-
road employees have been patient and
loyal to the interests of the country
| and in the event of war have offered
their services to the government 1t
| must not be overlooked that during
| this period, when the railroads have
persistently denied their employees that
which was intended by the president
in his proposition and that which was
intended by the congress in the Adam
son law. the railroads during a years
period show net earnings of over a
thousand million dollars, while the en-
ployes with no increase in wages have
suffered an increase in cost of living
equal to more than 40 per cent.
| IF, after more than a year, we have