Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-08-12
WILL Be DECIDED ON Merit
Director General Authorized To Take
Up Railroad ShOpmen'S Demands.
WILSON IS GIVEN AUTHORITY TO ACT

President Left To Decide As He
Thinks Best With Difficult Question
Says Whole Matter At Stand
still Until Employees Return to Work
And Recognize Authority OF Their
Organization.
President Wilson tonight notified
Director General Hines that he was
authorized to take up the demands OF
railroad shop employees Tor n!sner
wages and decide them on their
merits, says Washington dispatch OF
Thursday night.
The president said that the letter
sent him by Senator Cummins, chair
man Of the committee on interstate
commerce. had set me free to deal
as think best with the difficult ques-
ton Of the wages Of certain classes OF
the railroad employees" but added:
The chief obstacle to decision has
been created by the men themselves.
They have gone out on a strike and
repudiated the authority Of their Of
ficers at the very moment when they
were urging action in regard to their
interests"
The presidents decision was an
nounced tonight from the white house
in the form Of a letter sent by him to
Mr.. Hines. The president said that
until the employees return to work and
again recognize the authority OF their
organization, the whole matter must
be at a standstill."
Text of Presidents Letter.
The presidents letter follows:
IT am just in receipt Of the letter
from Senator Albert B. Cummins,
chairman Of the senate committee on
interstate commerce, which set me
free to deal as think with the diff
cult question Of the wages Of certain
classes of railway employees, and 1
take advantage of the occasion 10
write you this letter. in order that l
may, both in the public interest and
in the interests Of the railroad en-
ployes themselves, make the present
situation as clear and definite as pos
sible.
'I thought it my duty to lay. the
question in it's present pressing form
before the committee Of the senate,
because I thought 1 should not act
upon this matter within the brief IN
terval Of government control remain
ing, without their acquiescence ana
approval. Senator Cummins' letter,
which speaks the unanimous judgment
OF the committee leaves me free and
indeed imposes upon me the duty TO
act.
The question of the wages Of rail.
road shopmen was submitted, you Will
remember to the board of railroad
wages and working conditions OF the
railroad administration last FeDru.
airy, but not reported upon by the board
until the 10th of July. The delay was
unavoidable because the board was
continuously engaged in the dealing
with several wage matters affecting
classes of employees who had not pre-
viously received consideration. The
board now having apprised us OF TINS
inability, at any rate for the time De-
ing, to agree upon recommendaIon'
it Is clearly our duty to proceed Wltn
the matter in the hope OF disposing OF
1t.
Hines Authorized to Act.
"You are therefore authorized TO
say to the railroad shop employees that
the question of wages they have rals-
ed will be taken up and considered on
its merits by the director general In
conference with their duly accreoltea
representatives. l hope that you Will
make it clear to the men concerned
that the railroad administration can
not deal with problems of this sort or
with any problems affecting the men,
except through the duly chosen inter-
national officers or the regularly con-
stituted organization and their au-
thorized committees.
Matters of so various nature ana
Affecting so many men cannot be dealt
with except in this way. Any action
which brings the authority Of the au-
thorized representatives of the organ
1zation into question or discredits It
must interfere with, If not prevent,
action altogether.
The chief obstacle to decision has
been created by the men themselves.
"They have gone on strike and re-
pudiated the authority of their Of
OF ha Tr1nmQnt
were urging action in regard TO va
rious interests.
You will remember that confer
ence between yourself and the au-
thorized representatives OF the men
was arranged at the instance Of these
representatives for July 2S to discuss
the wage question and the question
of the national agreement, but before
this conference took place local BODIES
of railway shopmen took action look
ing toward a strike on the first or
August. AS result of this action,
various strikes actually took place be-
fore there was an opportunity TO act
in a satisfactory or conclusive way
with respect to the wages. In the
presence of these strikers and the re-
pudiation of the authority Of the rep
resentatives of the organization con-
cerned there can be no consideration
Of the matter in controversy.
Until the employees return to work
and again recognize the authority Of
their organization, the whole matter
must be at a standstill.
Government is Fair.
when federal control of the rail-
roads began, the railroad administra-
tion accepted existing agreements be-
tween the shopmen's organization and
the several railroad companies, and
by agreement machinery was created
for handling the grievances OF the
shopmen's organization of all the rail-
ways, whether they had heretofore
had the benefits of definite agree
ments or not There can be no ques-
ton, therefore, of the readiness OF
the government to deal in spirit OF
fairness and by regular methods with
any matters the men may bring TO
their attention
Concerned and very careful con-
sideration is being given by the entire
government to the question OF reduc-
ing the high cost Of living.
al need hardly point out how inti-
mately and directly this matter af-
fects every individual in the nation,
and If transportation is interrupted IT
will be impossible to solve 1t. This is
a time when every employe OF the rail-
ways should help to make the r-ocsss
of transportation more easy and eco
nomical rather than less, and employ
es who are on strikes are deliberately
delaying a settlement Of their wage
problems and of their standard Of liv-
ing. They should promptly return to
work and / hope that you will urge
upon their representatives the i'm
mediate necessity for their doing so.
Cordially and sincerely yours,
WOODROW WILSON"
Hines Notifies Unions.
Director General Hines notified the
unions Immediately that the railroad
administration was ready to take up
the question las soon as the employees
returned to work" In letter to B. NJ.
Jewell, acting president Of the rail-
way employees department of the
American Federation of Labor, Mr..
Hines said:
81 enclose a letter which have just