Show c S S S S AM Ai A peculiar positions are arc nr arcS there them In the big bl go government eminent of or ortho m S tho the States Staten but the tho thom most m t unique of or nil all eu perhaps are aro those tho e occupied by two of or Undo Uncle nt at Washington D C Three men I now n to labor and capital nil all over oer the country aro designated by hr law as nil peacemakers ers It Is 19 their dut duty to preserve the tho peace so o to speak between tho the rail railroads roads and nod that big Influential hotly body of ot orcen otmen men cen the tho train twin operators engaged In In 10 The TIle When the these of capitAl and labor aro are nt at lo loggerheads tho the two men Augustus Knapp of ot Syra Srm Syracuse Syracuse cuse cUBe N Y V chairman of or tho the Interstate Commerce Commission and lod Dr Charles CharlesP P Nelll Neill United States Commissioner of ot Labor In III and feel to pour oil oft ofton eu euon on the tho troubled ti waters b by averting a 0 astrIke strIke e antI effecting n Q compromise and settlement I The Tile work of Qt those these two men has baa been remarkable In lu several Io particulars In the first place It has ha been success ful fu al Ibis statement Is more moro impressIve when It Is taken Into consideration confederation that the tile worK was looked upon lu Iu tho the light of or a n experiment when first suggested In III tho the second place ploce their work fork has bos shown bon that when approached d dIn in a n friend friendly spirit but without bios bIas prejudice or partisanship p both capital capitol end labor are arc disposed d to display fair fairness ness ned patience tolerance and n a regard for the thi rights each cacti of or the other othor How much mitch of ot this success has been heen due U to t tho th personality of or the mediators anti and nor how much mitch to tho good goad sense pense and fairness of ot the tho men and their employers tony not lot accurately be bo determined lInt Bui that ranch much has ban depended upon tho the medi m l themselves Is 15 beyond dispute And both men are arp nr qualified bj by b r education and temperament to act oct In Ie this trying ca co capacity Pew Fee Fe persons persona are aware that during the past year u several fc eral great railroad s which would have nao caused Im hn mense men o suffering Buffering and lo loss 1011 s of ot business and monc money have been narrowly averted In ha this country conn try When the tho depression came the raIlroad companies v n very ry rT generally en threatened to reduce the wages of or their naturally there was WC an Immediate protest Th Critical For Tor a n time it deemed that there would be much trouble for tho employeR were determined to resist any reductions and the railroads declared that they could not to continue continua the old calo of or wages Very naturally the result was a n There Thero seemed n a determination to bring on strikes The Tho public never Knew how bo critical the situatIon watt was But Dut tho the government was wan wn wasIa in Ia a position to 1 know now It U was nas able oble bj by b br reason r of ot the Erdman Act to offer friend friendly Iv ly Bull and disinterested dl d mediation which While being belna In tho the nature of or nn In untried experiment wan nR accepted by the roll rail toads anti their men The Impending strIkes trl clI did not occur and government scored a n triumph Many IOD other been handled bandied In this samo same F tul manner And nd tho the two men who have bare charge of or this unique department of ot government aro are at nt their strange profession Retired on a D ferns tarm until his bla ec seventeenth year I r Martin Augustus learned from experience something of ot the stand standPoint st standpoint Point of or tho man who labors with his handu bantis Having educated himself won eollo college 0 1 degrees of or A M I end LL D gained rd to the bar of or his bIB native Pen Stale to anti and become possessed through his bis bl industry and thrift of or n a competence ho bo huB nn no appreciation of lot the feelings of or the tho capitalistic class elMs and aDIl an understanding of ot tb legal rights of ot both capital find end labor Withal ito he has boa n a keen sympathy for tor the tile inan end ft n sense of ot Justice that woold Would prevent him countenancing nn an In to any nn Individual whether r rIch or poor While still n a young lawyer Mr Knopp Knapp na made corporation counsel for tor the City t ty of or Syracuse which bo ho held beld for tor ix 1 x years r In 1 lent ThOl 01 ho was appointed n a member bomber of ot tho tue Interstate Commerce Com Corn Comby by liS President Ho Do was lu tu 1507 1591 by hy President Clove Clovo 1 again by President Roosevelt n 1002 A Social Scientist As United Staten of ot Labor Dr Charles P has hns mado nn DO DOI anI I I 1 P D z excellent record Ills flis work Is 18 one of ot the 1 oost delicate anti trying combinations of or duties In tho government service Ills 1118 training has hns been along lines that well titled fitted him hire for or his post poat po t however and his personal temperament has hns been heen In enabling him to consider questions coming before him in an Rn way war without partisanship or bins Ho lie IH is a socIal scientist of ot eminent at nt attainments For ten years he filled most acceptably the tho responsible rell post pest nt at tho the head of or the department of or economics at III atthe the tho Catholic University of or America In inthe the tho City of ot Washington He lie woe was a Mist assist assistant ant recorder of ot tho Anthracite Coal Commission lon and was valuable In that connection ns as II an no authority and Dud referee on statistical matters entering Into loto the question Dr was also nIo ol o re rc recorder recorder corder of ot the commission of ot which Judge Gray Gra was Ioe chairman which settled the great Ireat coal strike He lie has baa ba been prominent In many matters affecting dir dif differences dl nod and disputes between employers and the employed But Dt In nothing has ban banho ho he shown bown more strengths strength and real ability titan in 10 his work n nt as a 3 mediator for tor the government to prevent labor br disturbances In the railway world Tho The settling fettling of ot labor disputes by Ir thc these o government o peacemakers Is in possible by reason raon of ot tho th Erdman Act which became a law In 1503 1 3 Its IA provisions however hOe err remained practically dead dee until Decem December her ber 1000 10 Since Sinco then it has hos been almost t continually but not Dot In the wo way Its author and Congress anticipated The Mho Erdman Act applIes only to rail railroads roads rods engaged cd In Interstate te commerce and their who aro are engaged td In Intrain intrain train operation It I provides u a method metho for voluntary arbitration between the tho railroads and their trainmen but nfl an I an nn alternative whenever a dispute occurs that threatens to t Interrupt interstate trUc either party to t the tho dispute may way make an ott appeal to the tho chairman eh of or the Interstate Inter Commerce Commission Comission and the tho I Commissioner of ot Labor They must t then seek the tho other party pory to the dispute IU and oed I tr tr to get consent conS to mediation by b the to government om r who thereby be boo become come corns a board of or mediation If I media Uon should fail It becomes the to duty ruty of or the government board to urge ur that the dispute bo ho referred to arbitration ns as provided for tor In the act net netA actA A J Serious Cane On e eIn In at nt least two of or the tho ciuca In which tho the government has hl been ben the country wits WI threatened with Interruption of or that would havn hava caused In Incalculable incalculable calculable loi lop baa d In wages wage and profits rho first caso CO la J deserving of ot mention menton chIefly tJ because CUe It was tho the first At that H it I was WM serious enough wb Q tho thin govern mont WM M Invited to step In It was nl almost two t o years tn ago ao and the to firemen of or Involved rite Tho the Southern m Pacific were strike occurred on the lh bc division bleon Kl El Paso Pao and New cW Orleans Both sides seemed d stubborn anti ond there was WS w Imminent likelihood that the trouble would spread to t other divisions of or the Southern Souther Pacific 7 w a 1 i S 0 II L ll V ft J I i anti and to other roads Finally the railroad company sought the help belp of ot the govern government meat ment Chairman Knapp of ot the tho Inter Interstate state slate Commerce Commission and Labor Commissioner Charles P Nelll NeI ns RB bound boun 1 to do bi by h law lav In tendered t their ao no mediators A was held beld b be between tween the representatives of tho the two op opposing posing factions through these th o two tire t o peace peacemakers peacemakers makers of ot Undo Uncle Sams end a n satisfactory satisfactory tory settlement of or the tho to dispute was WM I reached The second dispute that cam cal before the mediators involved mile of ot railroad In the United States and nd Canada west nest of or the III Illinois Central and nd tho Great Lakes Feeling on both sides was WAR at a white heat br t Tho Th belligerent 8 were con cn that their most mOAt cherished rights were vere being Infringed upon and that thoy they were being wholly Ignored Tho The situation wan Wil tense with promise of darker days ahead The Tho railroads were likewise In nn an ugly ull mood mod Irritated by negotiations which bad ItatI hac already extended over a n long Ions period th they y were er quietly but actively preparations to conduct n duct what gave prom Iso of ot being Ing ono one of ot the longest longest most stubborn and far reaching railroad fights tho the country countr had bad ov r seen sen Resort Report The casita t started In 1007 when the trainmen demanded better b ter wages more mor favorable working hours bourn and Ion gen oral Dint In their working condl condi ions tons he railroads were vere averse aHne to t granting the tho demon While were being ID held the his tb failure of ot either side to make nay material concessions gradually brought about n feeling of or lies bos that threatened disaster not only to the tl parties parti to tho controversy but bitt bt to gr Juat great at Industrial enterprise soil and towns tow nuil CUlM on the th lines of ot the te railroad and dependent upon u n them for tor the tho n ce ec titles itie of ot lIfe lite With Wih the avidity with wIlls which a n drown lag ing man clutches nt itt lt n a straw an 00 appeal was made mado to t the provIsions of of the Jrr nan Act But Rut first the railroads Ac lt at nt the Iho request of or Ito th men meu united In 10 naming committees The Tho tame same wa was done by the tho c T various organizations of or trainmen and the questions in dispute waco taken token up But Dut tho the conference no fruit The Tho negotiations fall failed d after otter two months bad had been consumed In discussions Tho The situation became moro more strained than before All Au tho the Western railroads bad bo to face toce tho fact that tho the thomen thomen themen men hail had by ballot hallot decided that they thoy I would strike unless tho the roads made rens reas enable concessions conces Such nn an act would mean menn that one hundred thousand men mon nil all ni allover over oter the tho West Wet would WOld go o out nt itt a I mo moments moments moments ments notice tying up nil ni nh traffic for nn an Indefinite length tb of or time The Tile matter seemed emed almost hopeless bo lel But Dot not quite Everything else elso elto having haIDI been tried tho the railroads nuked asked for tor tho the services of ot the gOvernments government cot s professional peacemakers Commissioners Knapp and 01 responded Immediately A meeting was won arranged for tor between bot een the tho hostile lenders In Chicago After a n week of ot the most strenuous work they submitted to both sides ides a 1 form ron of ot agreement that wag W S promptly accepted But Dut oven even to this day the exact terms of or that agree agreement ment Leant are arc not known No 0 ono one knows what each faction conceded But Dut both sides were ere evidently content If It not ea sat B lathed for tho the labor organisations or PI ax IX pressed their pleasure that a strike o bad had been heen avoided nad several of ot the rail railroad road roal officials let Uncle hams hama peacemakers ers er know that the matter had bad been heen well wel disposed er of or orA After A this tho the professional peacemakers Peo settled three cases c s satisfactorily by ly me nit mediation m They Thoy were one on tho the Illo Rho frande nd two tan on an Oi the Ro Another case caso where the peacemakers nettled the tho with satisfaction to nil all ni and nO without n a I strike was nl that of or ortho thin tho Chicago Rock Inland and Pacific The bone of ot contention between the rond road AntI Its I telegraphers telegrapher r the proper lu in of ot the tho till hour law Though but bUI one road rOld was involved In this nr u merit ment evor every CoQ other rood road rall and nud every pery cry other In II the West was watching the tile outcome and preparing to duplicate tho the t 7 I r result rC IJ In their own Ho low 11 They The pork Since December 10 the peacemakers have havo exercised their powers of or exactly 10 times and successfully too In I every case coe Each time n a bit hi big strike was wan averted though twice strikes bad lad been heen actually declared When Aben tb bill bi was ivan passed by mediation was provided for tor but It was wao wn to be efficacious but seldom This hh feature tea however boweter hen has proven proton the Iho part port of ot It I thus far The gen gon general on eral public has bu heard hut hot little regard regarding rend log ing the actual working of ot the law About all nt that could he to sold said Ila wan wal that tho two peacemakers had bad been designated le In any certain corwin cotta to act na ns mediators Sub after oter nearly vol one ono bad for forgotten forgotten or gotten about It It would come com the meat ment that tho difficulty bad had boon been cn settled Bottled amicably cud nud satisfactory satisfactorily Tho The details obviously cannot be made mode public but lut an Inkling at least Is permitted of ot the tho man mannor I nor ncr in which the cases COBes are oro bundled For example take tho case In Chicago when all ni the tho Western roads were In lu dan dnn danger danger ger Ier of ot a Upon their arrival the two peacemakers found almost un UD armed camp under truce waiting hum On the Ohio otio bond hand were the high officials of or 13 43 S powerful railroads n on en the other oilier the Cite IM 16 representatives of ot tho employee of or each of ot the tho roads Both oth sides almost frankly considered mediation of ot doubtful utility Everything RIse eleo elI had been tried auth pro proven proven en n a failure Each Ench side tlde in reality reo l was willing to concede a I more mort than It had bad yet Iet admitted If it could coull do BO so with wih honor bonor After Arter n a hasty arrangement of ot the tho peacemakers met In tn the morn mornIng lag Ing tn of or the first day dav and beard b the pell 1111 tooer state their eileen canes 1 First t tono ono side and then the other then mot met motIn motIn In iii In executive eX session 1 lon with wit the out cm Every point polut raised wee ef carefully Free Fret discussions tl cus were oCre hold and claims advanced were Vero completely As An AI 01 ns as 8 ono eldo had been beD heard beard on O a 1 i f S t lJ C i 4 y i W M 4 tj t 6 Y V l r 4 f ft t r tl 2 4 i E Sr x 1 ti l o oI 1 dg I S i t S y t 5 rm j w I r tt F to toi t ti 2 i t t St C i l r i if i f f 1 H 1 l P f F 4 Bt I d t y si 1 I X I J Jl l 1 l 1 l I yd I II 2 o 55 r r r i 1 4 5 74 A e J point point the tho other was Wn admitted and the same samo ground gone one |