The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1920-03-13

}! =, Real Struggle Now On. :. s.s..s b..
The sieaders Of the fifteen :railroad
labor erganizations refused 70 pub
.1icly comment: on the Presidents
isigning the bill, except to briefly sx-
press their disapp aintnaep They lad
nm de- 9 ondeSfnl1a1 ..npd q
but they regarded the defeat merely,
as one battle, IN q great ,campat9n. -.
I'VE have lost first fall" said one
OF the leaders, grimly, "but. no, first
class wrestling match is ever decided
on one fall. The real struggle is just
beginning"
With the railroad bill approved, the
executives of the railroad organiza-
tions went into executive session to
consider the letter President: Wilson
had addressed to them in: reply: to
their request that he veto the Cum
Minis -Esch bill. -
Wage Question Unsettled
This document is of the first Inn
portance, for it has a direct bearing
on the wage demands Of the two
million railroad workers.
1.-THE bill having now become q
law" wrote the President. ''the way
is open for immediate action on the
wage matter, in accordance with the
terms of the bill. Section s01 Of the
bill evidently contemplates that the
carriers and employees should, AZ; sug-
gested by you. select the representa-
tives who will thus constitute 4 BIZ
partisan board for the purpose Of at
tempting, by conference. to agree
upon a solution of this wage problem.
I'm accordance with the assurance
I gave last August and repeated in
substance in my letter Of the thir-
teenth instant, shall at once request
the carriers and employees to Join In
this action. believe such a step will
60 far toward clarifying and maturing
the subject for final disposition"
There is some difference Of opinion:
as to just what the President meant
by the foregoing.
Divided Interpretation.
It will be recalled that the execu-
tives OF the railroad organizations, In
q letter. forwarded to the President
on, February IA. suggested that he
arrange for conference on the wage
question between representatives of
the railroads and of their employees,
each side to have equal representation
on the board and the decision Of the
board to be final and binding on all
effected. r.. = -
Apparently the President, in his lat
est letter, accepts this suggestion, hut.
on the other hand, some officials OF
the railroad administration insist that
that is not the proper construction to
be placed on his utterance, and that
what he had in mind was that the
workers should undertake to negoti-
ate with the officials Of each railroad
system, which, of course, would mean
that hundreds Of wage conferences
would be progressing in all parts. of
the country and that uniform deci-
sions would be well nigh impossible.
What Section sol Says.
An examination of section sol doss
not throw any light on the subject. II
is az follows: -: -
TT shall be the duty of all carriers.
and their officers, > employees and
agents to exert every reasonable effort.
and adopt every available means 70.
avoid any interruption to the opera-s
ton Of any. carrier growing out Of any
dispute between the carrier and The
employees or subordinate officials
thereof. All such disputes shall he5
considered and, IL possible, decided
in conference between representatives
designated ana authorized 20 to confer
BY the carriers. or the employees or
subordinate officials thereof. directly
interested Ia the dispute. IL any dis
spute . NOT decided s. such conferences.
/ f shalI bs refsrred by. tllss parties
Tulsl 70