Denver labor bulletin., 1917-03-24

compensation than is provided in eth
er basis"
Power Given Mediators.
The railroad managers having on
Sunday morning conferred upon the
federal mediators full power of nego-
uatlng an agreement with the rail-
road brotherhood representatives, the
document was signed by these two
parties and later concurred in by
Elisha Lee, chairman of the national
conference committee of railways.
The commission representing the gov
ernment consisted of Franklin K.
Lane, Daniel Willard, W. B. Wilson,
Samuel Gompers.
The railroad brotherhood officials
signing the agreement were W. G.
Lee, L. E. Sheppard, W. S. Stone, W.
S. Carter.
Supreme Court Decision.
Shortly after the news had spread
thruout the nation that an agreement
had been reached in New York be-
tween the railroads and their employees,
Chief Justice White of the United
States supreme court handed down a
sweeping decision upholding the Ad-
amson eight-hour law. 1t was con-
CURED in by Associate Justices Nc
kenna, Holmes, Brandeis and Clark.
Justice McReynolds, while not con-
curing wholly in the majority opinion,
announced that he would not dissent
from the decision in general terms
justices Day, Pitney and Van Deyan-
ter Gissented, declaring it to be their
opinion that congress exceeded its au-
thorlty IN passing the Adamson law.
For all time worked over EIGHT
hours since January members of
the four railroad brotherhoods will be
compensated under the decision of the
court This will total several mil
I lions of dollars.
| Power of Congress Sustained.
The majority opinion holds that
there was conclusively established the
power of congress under the extreme
and threatening circumstances to ex-
ert Its authority TO "compulsorily ar
oltrate" the disputes between railroad
managers and the brotherhoods.
That the eight-hour standard is per-
manently fixed and that the fixing of
the ten-hour wage standard for eight
hours work resulting from the prohi-
bition in the law against paving lower
than existing wages is temporary,
leaving employer and employe free as
TO the subject of wages to govern their
relations by their own agreements
after specified time
Under Regulation of Congress.
That common rail carriers in inter-
state commerce indisputably are with
/ IN the power of congress to regulate;
that the business of the carriers is in
q sense public business because of the
interest of society in their continued
operation and rightful conduct and
that the public interest begets
public right of regulation TO the full
extent necessary to secure and pro-
tect it"
That, because of the failure.of rail-
road employers and employees to agree
privately as to a standard of wages,
( interruption of interstate commerce
was threatened and infinite injury to
the public interest was imminent, and,
therefore. inevitably the power of con-
gress extended to regulation neces-
sary to provide remedy adequate to
the situation.
Power Can Not Be Disputed.
| That no ground exists for disput-
ing the power of congress to fix wages
as directed in the Adamsou act and to
bind both parties for a limited time
to the end that dispute between indi-
viduals involved might not ''bring ruin
to the vast interests concerned in the
movement of interstate commerce"
That it would be useless to society
to recognize the right to regulate re-
lations of employers and employees
among themselves, and to give en-
ployes special rights thru liability
regulations to safeguard their per-
sons against accidents, if there was no
power to remedy situation created
by dispute between employer and
employe as to rate of wages, which, IL
not remedied. would leave the public
helpless and homes of the land sub
mitted to dangers Of the most serious
character.
Hooks Decision Overruled.
This case came before the high
court upon an appeal taken by the
government from a decision rendered
| by Judge Hook of the federal district
court in Kansas city last fall, when
the latter held the Adamson eight
hour law to be unconstitutional. This
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