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Show N HUGHES TELLS 1! HE REFUSED TO INTERFERE Did Not Believe Passage of 1 Adamson Bill Could Be Prevented by Filibuster of Republicans. IS AGAINST SUCH j TACTICS, ANYWAY Republican Candidate Replies Re-plies to Question Put by , Richard OIney, ex-Secretary of State. r SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. V-, Sept. 8. Charles K Hughes tonight told tli e Republican unofficial state convention conven-tion hero why he had not urged RepubTi- can senators to filibuster ' to the last . ditch ' ' against the passage of the ; Adamson eight-hour law passed to avert the threatened railroad strike. The 1 nominee declared he did not believe in filibustering, for one thing, and that if ' the majority in congress had determined to pass the bill there was no reason whatever why its passage should have been delayed by filibustering tatties. ' ' It (the administration) acted with swiftness," ilr. Hughes said, "and it cannot now cry that a Republican candidate can-didate a thousand miles away should have saved it from carrying out its fixed determination. ' ' , Reads Correspondence. The nominee read to the convention correspondence between Chairman New-lands New-lands of the senate commerce committee; Harry A. Wheeler, chairman of the com- ' mittee on railroad situation of the Chamber Cham-ber of Commerce of the United States, and President Wjlson none of the letters let-ters was from the president, but he was t addressed in the correspondence to uphold his contention that 300,000 firms and corporations in the country had ( asked the president to take action be-1 be-1 fore the threatened strike situation be- came acute. Mr. Hughes also quoted "J au extract from the president's address L to congress on the subject, to support his Vaim that the bill should not have been passed. ' Answers OIney. A question asked by Richard Olncy, secretary cf state under President Cleveland, Cleve-land, as to why Mr. Hughes had not urged Republican senators to filibuster against the bill, was made the occasion for Mr. Hughes's declaration. He said: "A distinguished Democrat, a former secretary of state, Mr. OIney, whom I have always admired and respected and whose record presents a singular contrast con-trast to that of the present administration, administra-tion, springs to its defense in its hour of trial. With his ability, I assume he has $ done the best that can be done. "lie says, referring to the recent railroad situation, that I object not to the averted strike, but to the mode of its accomplishment, to wit:' By the threat of a strike within a time too short for due consideration of necessary legislation. legisla-tion. am not prepared to admit the necessity of wage increases by law, but' I do object in every fiber of my being to A legislation under duress. I object to the surrender of the executive to force. That is the path of disaster. If the distinguished dis-tinguished ex-secretary of state desires to take the nation along that path I will not accompany him. Why He Kept Still. "Ho asks why I did not urge twenty-eight twenty-eight Republican senators to filibuster - to the last ditch? "Well, I do not believe in filibustering, for ono thing. If con- gross, through its majority, was de- 1 Wcrmined to pass the bill, there was no f reason whatever why its action should 1 be merely delayed bv filibustering. Ar-j. Ar-j. guments along this line really come to t- this that in some way the administration administra-tion should have been saved from itself." it-self." "The truth is that the executive de- stroyed the moral strength of the situation situa-tion when he threw up his hands, yielded yield-ed the principle of arbitration and' went, to congress demanding the railway; wage bill as the price of peace. Con-i press, so far as the moral of the sitna-1 tion was concerned, ratified a surren- j drr already made. The administration' chose its ground; it selected its ground carefully and with manifest view to partisan expediency. In the closing days it .acted with swiftness and it cannot can-not now cry that a Republican candidate candi-date a thousand miles away should have saved it from carrying out its fixed determination. ' ' Cites Wilson's Address. Mr. Hughes's citation from President Wilson s address to congress was a brief ; nn ft. The part quoted followed the : president 'a declaration that " f yield j to no man in firm adherence alike of conviction and of purpose to the prin- i ci)le of avl lit ration in industrial dis- put cs, ' ? a nd was n part of the same sentence, which was as follows: i ' ' Put matters have come to a sud- i den crisis tn this particular dispute, and the country has been caught without any practicable means of enforcing! that convict ion in practice, by whose fault we will not now stop to inquire.''1 After deidarine that ' here was I Amrii'an business, a month before the I railroad crisis, asking for an inquiry,'' Mr. Hughes continued: ' ' A sudden crisis, with no opnortu- . nil v for immirv? IT the ad mi i: is t ration ra-tion had desired to know the facts before be-fore action, it hail abundant opportunity opportu-nity on the solicitation of the business of the United States. ' ' j "That is the administrat ion 's rec-ord." rec-ord." Mr. Hmriics said, after declaring that the administration could not erv r ) 1 out that a Republican candidate should have saved it from "carrying out its fixed determination. " "And I submit to the American people peo-ple that it is a record of humiliation. Robe Fell Unsullied. "The distinguished former secretary of state said, in substance, that l doffed the judicial ermine and appeared in tho motley garb of an ordinary seeker seek-er of office. I did doff the .-judicial ermine and I submit to. you that you; know and every American knows that it fell from my shoulders unsullied." The audience arose to its feet and cheered loudly. "No American need apologize for being be-ing a candidate for office; least of all, I,'' Mr. Hughes continued. "I desired to remain on the bench. T had no desire de-sire to return to politics, but there came a summons, which no honorable man could refuse. I did assume the garb, call it motley or what you will, of a seeker of office, ami I am now before the American people seeking the highest office in its gift. I am now purpose? Not that I covet power, but I do covet the opportunity, if it is afforded, af-forded, to maintain American rights and American honor-. Olney's Mistake. "Our distinguished former secretary of state has made some observations with respect to American rights. He makes a mistake in assuming or suggesting sug-gesting that the criticism of the administration's admin-istration's foreign policy is, as he puts it. 'That our peace is a peace without honor," and 'if our national honor had been consulted, the United States would be fighting.' We have no occasion to get into war with respect to 1- nown rights that any nation will respect if we know how to convince that nation that we are firm in maintaining them. "I like Mr. OIney 's pen as a secretary secre-tary better than his pen as an apologist. apolo-gist. Wo gave no convincing siun that we meant to enforce rights." That, i? the difference between" reason in fact and reason in theory."' Mr. Hughes was cheered ten minutes upon his entrance to the hall. Tt was the building in which iic nominated nominat-ed in inrif; and again in 1008 for governor gov-ernor of New York. Documents read by M r. Hughes included in-cluded an extract from a letter written writ-ten by Mr. Wheeler July 29 last to the president, in which Mr. Wheeler expressed ex-pressed the hope that the president would ' ' see fit to start an inquiry on behalf of the administration as to the near approach of au actual crisis, cri-sis, ' ' and in the following statement attributed to Senator Ncwlands oo August 4: "It was determined to have no hearing hear-ing on the subject, but to lay the resolution reso-lution (senate joint resolution 145, providing pro-viding for an investigation by the interstate in-terstate commerce commission) on the table. The committee deemed it inadvisable inad-visable while proceedings were pending pend-ing under the mediation and conciliation act to take up the subject of pay and hours of service of the railway employees. em-ployees. It was also deemed inadvisable inadvis-able to add to the present duties of the interstate commerce commission, which, as it is well known, is overloaded with work. ' ' Wheeler's Telegram. Then followed a telegram, dated August 4, from Mr. Wheeler to Senator Newlands, as follows:. ' Actiou of senate committee at meeting today great disappointment.; If resolution tabled because committee believed be-lieved consideration should only follow declaration strike vote and deadlock next week, position might be -tenable. ' ' Respectfully called to your attention atten-tion that resolution upon which hearing hear-ing was asked was passed by representatives represent-atives of 300.000 business fiirms and corporations, cor-porations, who feel they have perfect right to ask for hearing upon a resolution reso-lution in which they are vitally interested, inter-ested, and would be glad to be advised whether such hearing in positively denied de-nied or whether we may expect to be advised that hearing will be, granted after the reconvening of New York conference con-ference next Tuesday if efforts of administration ad-ministration in meantime to bring about adjustment of differences t ail. "As chairman senate com mittee, can you assure business interests of the country courtesy of hearing in time for action to be taken before congress adjournment i ' ' The next document read by Mr. Hughes was an extract from a letter written August 6 by M r. Wheeler to Senator Newlands, as follows: "The interstate commerce commission is the only body that can make such an inquiry with a result acceptable to the railroad employees, the roads them-I them-I selves and the general public. Any special spe-cial committee might be more or less tinged with politics. The interstate commerce commission is sufficiently judicial ju-dicial in its character and independent in its operations to be above any political po-litical bias, and would do the work in a highly acceptable manner. "It is' true Hint the commission is already al-ready overburdened, but there is no other subject now before It which ranks in imparlance im-parlance so hlsh as averting h tie-up of lour freight trnnsporuition. and Inasmuch j as a tin-up is imminent il would socm ! justifiable to place upon llie commission j the added burden of eailterint; the proper statistics for concre-ss mid for the public i as one of the most important tasks that could be delegate I to it at this time." A telegram from Mr. Wheeler to President Presi-dent Wilson, ri;te,i August 12. was next I read by Mr. Hushes, as follows: 1 "Mr. "President: 1 beg you to consider at this iuiK-ture in the railroad situation: the. desirability nf putting the influence of the rt'imiuistration behliM senate joint resolution in Its present or some modified form. Notwithstanding the ohdurnte at-titudf1 at-titudf1 nf both sides, they ran not. without with-out reaping the conriemna tion of the whole public disrt-pard the request of rouures to withheld action until certain facts ran he psrertained which bear directly di-rectly upon the merits of the demands of the men or the rnnt.mseiu proposals of the roadf. facts wIilcii must In any event be se-iired before an arliitrntion award upon tho pail of the differences could properly be reach-" d. '"If thf demand! of the men nre just, thry will not suffer from m proper in-Miiirv. in-Miiirv. nor will tlio- be irreparably injured in-jured by oontini.IriT upon the present basis ( while inquiry is bcin made. If the con- tingent proposals of the road are just, they will not be denied consideration. Facts have not entered into this controversy contro-versy as bearing upon the merits of the proposals of either side. The public has been compelled to form its opinions upon unsupported or admittedly partisan statements, whollv contradictory. 'No one denies that the interstate commerce commission is overburdened; neither is there any doubt thai the commission com-mission is the only existing federal atiencv havint; the equipment and experience ex-perience requisite to the task of possessing posses-sing the confidence of all parries to Die controversy. As between taxinc the commission com-mission a little further, and enduring the suffering and loss of a general railroad strike, there can be no hesitat ion. The count ry wi 11 a ppland t lie commission for laying aride for a time some of its pres ent duties to meet this emergency, the like of which has never before confronted the country." Extracts from a letter dated August 22 from R. G. Rhett, president of the Chamber of Commerce of the United States, to the president were read, as follows: "The railroad situation has aspumed so grave a shape, in otir judgment, as to render it now more Imperative than at any past stage that the public should be informed of nl the facts of l lie controversy con-troversy and thus have the opportunity of giving an unmistakable verdict as to the justice and fairness of the demands which rave been made, upon the railroads primarilv. but ultimately upon the public itself. 'It was in view of t h many gra ye. questions and serious complications tha t our committee came to the conclusion that an impartial investigation of all tlif se facts by an official body was essentia I. There are now two questions involved which are vhal to the future prosperity of this country. The first is whether a determination of all vital points at issue shall succeed (not precede) a complete ascertainment of the underlying facts necessary to adjust determination, and the Recond is whether the government has the right, to insist upon the continuance of the public service during such Investigation. Investi-gation. "The seriousness of the situation, as we now nee it. is that ihe public !s informed of its helplessness to protect itself anainst certain demands and. therefore, such demands de-mands must be acceded to by it. We a f p not In a position to say whether the demands de-mands are co.uital.ie and just or not. Our position Is that the facts ought to be investigated, in-vestigated, and if the demands are just they ought to be granted Immediately upon the ascertainment of the facts m their merits, and not. because cither party is so powerful that it can dictate its tenns to the public. "We feel that there is no hope whatever what-ever of a per ma iient s-! tie men t "f Un quest ion short of the mot hod proposed, a nd v.e a ga in n ppea I to you to use your power and influence to that end at thin time." |