The Washington times., 1919-08-26
Presidents Statement tt
Railroad ShOpnlen

The President in a statement 4
the representatives of the railroai
shopmen yesterday. said:
Gentlemen;
l request that you lay this crit
zeal matter before the men in a
new light. The vote they have
taken was upon the question
whether they should insist upon
the wage increase they were ask
ing or consent to the submission
OF their claims to a new tribunal.
to be constituted by new legisla-
tiOn. That question no longer has
any life in IL. Such legislation
is not now in contemplation. re-
quest that you ask the men to
reconsider the whole matter in
view of the following considera-
tions. to which ask their
thoughtful attention as Amer
leans, and which / hope that you
will lay before them as / here
state them.
We are face TO face with a sit
uation which is more likely to
affect the happiness and prosper
ity, and even the life, OF our peO-
pie than the war itself. We
have now got to do nothing less
than bring our Industries and our
labor of every kind back to a
normal basis after the greatest
Upheaval known to history, and
the winter just ahead of US may
bring suffering infinitely greater
than the war brought upon US il
we blundeT or fail in the process.
Need SeIf-sneFifIee.
An admirable spirit Of self sacri-
flee, of patriotic devotion, and Of
community action guided and in
spired US while the fighting was
on We shall need all these now,
and need them in a heightened
degree, If we are to accomplish
the first tasks OF peace. They
are more difficult than the tasks
Of war-more complex, less easily
understood. and require more in
telligence, patience, and sObriety.
We mobiliZed our man power for
the fighting; let US now mobilize
our brain power and our con-
sciences for the reconstruction. II
we fail, ii will mean national dis
aster. The primary first step is
to increase production and facili-
up for the destruction wrought
by the war, the terrible search
ties II created, and so as soon as
possible relieve our people Of the
cruel burden Of high prices. The
railways are at the center Of this
whole process.
Working To Reduce Prices.
The Government has taken up
with all its energy the task OF
bringing the profiteer to book,
making the stockA Of necessaries
in the country available at low
cred prices, stimulating produC-
ton and facilitating distribution,
and very favorable results are al
ready beginning to appear. There
is reason to entertain the con-
fident hope that substantial relief
will result, and result in incTeas-
ing measure, A general increase
in the levels of wages would
check and might defeat all this
at its very beginning. Such in
crease would inevitably raise, not
lower the cost Of living. Man
ufacturers and producers OF ey-
cry sort would have innumerable
additional preteXtss for increasing
profits and all efforts TO discov-
er and defeat pTofiteerlng would
be hopelessly confused. be-
lieve tat the present efforts to
redNs.- - costs of living wiIl be
succAEArII II no new elements of
difficulty are thrown in the way;
and / confidently count upon the
men engaged in the service OF
the railways TO assist, not OBJ
struct. II Is much more I'm their
interest to do this than to in
sist upon wage increases which
will undo everything the Cow
ernment attempts. They are
good Americans along with the
rest OF US and may. / am sure.
be counted on 10 see the point.
1t goes without saying that II
our efforts 10. bring the cost Of
living down should fail after we
have had time enough to estab-