The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1917-01-05

that its author, William c. Adamson,
makes statement which he vouches
for as the truth. Here it is:
81 have no doubt congress will pro-
ceed in an orderly manner to consider
measures designed to accomplish
whatever may be necessary to secure
to the people prompt and efficient
service by interstate carriers. If the
railroad companies and the men are
not able to agree among themselves
and conduct the business decently
and orderly, congress will have to
take it in charge and regulate it for
them, which it will not hesitate to do.
''In the conferences between the
railroad companies and the trainmen
the railroads were perfectly willing
that the trainmen should have what
they wanted, and the trainmen in turn
were perfectly willing for the rail
roads under false claim of increased
expenses to pile unconscionable
charges in the shape of increased
rates on the people, but as the as
surance of the increased rates was
wanting the agreement failed
"The president then called the
parties before him and made a fair
and decent proposition to them to put
in force the eight hour law as to men
who operate trains, and, inasmuch as
the railroad companies insisted it
would increase the cost and demand
ed an increase in rates, and as the
president had neither the power nor
| disposition to grant the increase, he
proposed an investigation to settle
the mooted question as to whether
there would be such an increase in
expenses as to justify the enormous
increased rates. The trainmen prompt
ly accepted the proposition The rail-
road presidents refused unless they
could get the assurance of the in
crease Of rates. They were still per-
fectly willing to accept the eight hour
day if it could be made the pretext
for an increase of rates l notified
the railroad companies then that
they ought to accept the proposition
and trust the interstate commerce
commission and congress to take care
of them and gave them my opinion
that congress would pass the eight
hour law the first thing it did when
it took up the subject. They refused,
and the president threw up his hands.
Then congress, at the suggestion of
the president, took up the matter.
Right here another monumental
falsehood has been circulated to mis-
lead the people. The charge has been
made that the matter had not been
considered. The railroad companies
and the trainmen had already fully
considered it and were ready to agree
on it conditionally. The committee of
which am chairman had been con.
sidering the subject OF hours of labor
for generation. We had passed the
sixteen, thirteen and nine hour law in
1907, which prevented the railroads
from working their men anywhere
from twenty-five to forty hours. Pres
ident Roosevelt signed that without
hesitation, never once intimating that
it was wage law.
There is no use for anybody
further to give currency to the false
hood that congress was held up. The
railroad companies were not held up.
because they offered to yield if they
could secure increased rates The
president was not held up, because all
he offered was what civilization ap-
proves, safety in operating trains, and
what the railroads were willing to
accept on condition of increased
rates. The men didn't go to the
president until he called for them, and
he submitted his proposition to both
of them, not a proposition of either
one to the other.
when it came to congress the
trainmen not only didn't request legis-
lation, but positively requested that
there should be no legislation. but
congress couldn't afford to permit the
row between the two classes of public
servants to jeopardize and suspend
operations of interstate commerce
when it could be averted by merely
passing law, well considered, which
1t could easily approve and which both
sides had agreed to accept-one alb
solutely and the other conditionally-
and so we passed what is understood
and what nobody objected to. For be
il Remembered in the fann nf oil a..0