The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-08-26
PRESIDENT WILSON'S
CONTINUED from page IL

lated by the war. and practically III
located In Industrial centers who're
the cost OF living ID highest.
The president took occasion In hts
statement to the American public 70
center attention again on the fact
that the treaty OF peace ID still un-
ratified The president says that the
cost OF living, which he declares has
certainly reached Its peak. will cer-
| fstn1y be lowered 50 soon AZ there are
"settied conditions OF production ana
,cf commerce; that, 80 soon ~ the
treaty OF peace Is ratified and In
operation. and merchants, manufac-
turers. farmers. miners. all have a
certain basis Of calculation as to what
tEeir business WILL be and what the
conditions will be under which It
rust be conducted"
WAIT FOR NORMAL STATE !,
Not only. the shopmen, but all wage
earners. the president believes should
cease agitation for higher wages until
normal conditions are restored. and
a basis of determining the relation be-
tween wages and the cost OF living
shall have been arrived at
The future and not the present Ia
the keynote OF the presidents message
10 the shopmen. He tells them that
the tasks OF pence are more difficult
than the tasks Of war, and he asks for
a spirit OF self-sacriice to tide the
country through the dangerous shoal s
, ahead.
IF we fail I" he says. 1T will mean
national disaster"
What the government has done to
combat the cost OF living. and its
| present efforts In that direction, formr
large part of the presidents pl0f,
to the men
| II the Investigations now under way
are fruttless, and 1t becomes necessary
to establish new standard of wages
and living. the president assures the
men that they will have his utmost
support.
The employees may rest assured
he says. that. during my term of Of
! fee. whether am in actual Possession
( Of the railroads or not, shall not
fail TO exert the full influence OF the
executive to see that justice is done
them
THE LAST HOPE.
All the hope of the railroad admin
istration for averting a strike rests In
the appeal In the presidents commun-
ication to the men. 1t Is believed that
| IL they harken to his words. and see
| their own position in the light Of the
positions OF thousands of other Ameri-
can wage earners and toi,ers, that they
will continue at their work and place
confidence in the government to treat
them with justice.
Things look glum this afternoon
when the men left the white house.
there was no apprcciable change In
their demeanor when they left their
they were told that the governments
action was final.
Thus far the shopmen have been
bitter In their grievances, and It was
only by the exercise OF executive au-
thority that the leaders OF the union
put an end to the sporadic strikes.
which tied up different sections Of the
country. and ordered the men to re-
turn to work. pending final action by
the railroad administration. 1t Is the
temper Of the men that Is now feared,
and the presidents message to them
is the only present method Of allaying
the suspicion they now have.
The union leaders, it La believed Ger
| tain. will wait for a reaction from the
men before proceeding further. If
they share the presidents view OF the
present strike vote. 1t would be in
cumbent upon them to take another
ballot of the members Of the union,
and this task would consume thirty
days at least, The danger rests In
hasty action--action which would con-
strue the present strike vote as au-
thority TO cali out the men in the face
of the presidents message and his
compromise offer of four cents addi-
tional an hour.
In Director-Generai Hines letter 10
the president which was likewise
| made public In the form OF a state
ment from the white house. he tells
how the board of railway wages and
working conditions--a body constl-
tuted by the railroad administration
was unable to come to an agreement
on the shopmens demands, He then
gives resume OF the entire contro.
versy. and the main points OF this
are used by the president in his two
statements.