The Washington times., 1917-03-13
Unconstitutional, p Belief.

to embarrass the Government in the
international crisis, is little short of
| reasonable.
| UnconstitutIonaI, p Belief.
That the Supreme Court is going
to hold the Adsrnson law to be un,
constitutional is a belief that Is
standing in Washington.
That the brotherhoods may have
been infected with the same belief,
and for that reason desired to antici-
pate the courts opinion with their
ultimatum to the railroads, is thought
probable.
1t is further suggested that the
President himself may have based
his decision to call an extra session
of Congress as early as April 1o
partly on a belief that the Supreme
Court was going to nullify the Adam
son law, and that II would be we'll
to have Congress in session to pass
legislation to take its plade.
At all events, 1t is felt among off,
cials here that the brotherhood lead
ers have not only embarrassed the
President, but that they have come
close to defying the Supreme Court.
Net Direct Parties.
Directly, to be sure, the brother
hoods are not a party to the pending
court action, which is between the
Government and the railroads that
are seeking to restrain the Govern
ment from administering :he eight
hour law.
The four brotherhood leaders, who
were still in Washington today, re-
Il r.. - -. a.
alton in any way, or to confirm or
deny the existence of the strike order.
All that they would admit was that
they expect to go into conference in
New York on Thursday with repre-
sentatives OF the railroads, at which
time the matters at issue will be dis
cussed. No opportunity was given TO
Judge whether the strike threat is
genuine or in the nature Of a bluff. to
be called off at the last minute.
Officials, however. feel that the
President cannot afford to assume
that it Is anything but genuine.
Would BE Disastrous.
Entirely apart from the interna-
tional situation, 1t is felt that with
the present high prices for food. and
with a coal shortage constantly
threatened, a strike at this time
would be particularly disastrous to
the welfare of the American people,
In order, apparently, to put the
brotherhoods on record before the
public as to their conduct in the event
OF war with Germany, the White
House made public the following let
ter, dated March and received by
President Wilson March from
Cleveland:
1--WE feel obligated to officially ad-
wise you of our intention to again
meet the National Conference Com
mittee of the Railways on March IS
for the purpose of making another
effort to adjust the pending eight
hour controversy.
out a satisfactory adjustment with
the railroads, but II, while we are
negotiating, our country should be-
come involved in war, we want to as
sure you, as Chief Executive of the
nation, that we and the membership
we represent can be relied upon to
support you to the fullest extent, and
that yourself and the nation will have
our hearty and full support"
Nothing Of Strike ordS.
The letter was signed by L. z.
Sheppard, acting president of the
order of conductors: w. G. Lee, OF
the traiumen: w. E. Stone, of the
locomotive engineers, and w. s. Car
ter. OF the hremen.
officials remarked on the fact that
the letter said nothing OF q strike or
der having been issued, for use in the
event of a failure of the two sides to
agree.
The first intimation OF the impend-
ing stike came when the National
Conference Committee of the rail-
ways at New York, received informa-
tion that the four railroad brother
hoods had called q strike for 8
o'clock eastern time Saturday night,
Of the freight engineers, firemen,
condutors and trainmen on the New
York Central Railroad. the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad. the Erie
Railroad, the Atlantic Coast Line,
the Seaboard Air Line, the Louis
Southern Railway.
Fight Held In Allegiance.
This action was taken by the
unions, II was said, as the beginning
of strikes all over the United States
to force the railroads to give. them
the eight-hour day. the fight for
which has been held in abeyance
since November last, when the
railroads filed suits In the Supreme
Court to test the constitutionality of
the Adamson eight-ohur law, passed
last September 81, after the brother.
hoods had sent out a national strike
i -
follow this pogram, should their de-
mands not be met:
On Monday. March 10, the freight
trainmen on all the roads not called