Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-08-26
US. to Open Up Retail Stores Sept. Is
WILSON STAND
WITH SHOPMEN
TURNING POINT
May Be Beginning of
Movement for Restor-
ing Normal Times.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.
1918; by The Argus


Copyright 1919; by The Argus
Washington, DC, Aug. 26.-Pres
ident Wilson and Walker D. Hines
director general of railroads, toda!
agreed to a settlement of the issues
involved in the railroad shopmen'i
demand for increased wages. Tht
settlement constitutes the govern
ment's conceptions or duty both a:
an administrator of the railraoC
systems of the country and a rep
resentative of the interests of thi
taxpaying public.
Four courses were open to the
federal government when the rail
road shopmen asked for increase!
Of from 68 to IS cents an hour.
Four Courses.
First, the demands could be
rejected in entirety on the
ground that any increase in
wages would have to be trans
ferred to an already overbur-
dened public, who would have
to pay higher freight rates and
thus increase the cost of liv-
ing.
Second, the demands could be
accepted in full and high rates
imposed to compensate the gov
ernment for deficits incurred.
Third, the issue could be COM
promised and instead of paying
II cents more an hour to ma
chinists, boilermakers, riveters
and blacksmiths, electricians
and SO on, as demanded, or 81
cents to car repairers, or Is
cents to helpers, which consti-
tute the full extent of labor's
demands, the government could
pay a wage corresponding to
what is paid in other govern
ment institutions such as ship
yards and arsenals which is
about IS cents an hour.
Fourth, the government could
recognize the necessity for
some increase in pay due to the
high cost of living, but. at the
same time it could investigate
the truth of the railroad shop
mems claim that their wages
have never been equaliZed with
respect to wages of locomotive
engineers and other classes of
railroad employees.
Investigation Necessary.
These various questions called
or investigation into previously
wage increases as wells as
he cost of living. For one thing
t was found that the cost of living
lad increased from 1914 to 1919 al
east II per cent. This made i'm
possible from a government point
If view the absolute rejection OF
he railroad mems demands. More
,ver, the agitation for a national
zed railroad system as outlined by
Ilenn Plumb was not without sig
and it has been the gov
,rnment's desire to do as much as
vas possible to quiet instead of
stimulate the growing social unrest
Iue to reconstruction difficulties
md the cost of living. Similarly,
t seemed that an increase in wages
sranting everything that the shop
nen asked for would be not merely
. bad example from the viewpoint
# the relations between capital and
abor generally, but was absolutely
on the basis of postwar
conditions.
This left for determination the
question of whether the claim of
he railroad shopmen that their
wages had not been equalized with
aspect to other classes or railroad
employees was a fact. And their
lain being well founded it became
he duty of the government to de-
ide how much increase would be
,ranted to bring about such an
Qualization.
In Constant Conference.
President Wilson and Director
Ieneral Hines have been in con-
tant conference. Mr.. Hines was
t the White House on Saturday
nd again on Sunday which shows
.ow important the president re-
.arded as early an announcement
s possible of the governments de-
ision, for usually Mr.. Wilson goes
own the river week ends or makes
10 engagements with anybody on
overnment business. Today, after
n agreement had been reached
y the president and Mr.. Hines an
ntation was extended to the gen
raj committee of one hundred,
presenting the shopmen, to come
o the White House and hear the
ecision from the lips of Mr.. Will
on himself, with an explanation,