Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
This executive order, signed by President Woodrow Wilson on 1917-04-03, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Temporarily Suspending Eight-Hour Law Provisions in the Department of Agriculture." It is a direct, concise executive instruction delivering focused administrative or military commands to department leadership.
Constitutional Assessment: An early statesman would regard this order with wariness, cautioning that energetic executive discretion must never eclipse the enumerated boundaries established by the representatives of the people in Congress.
Key Directives & Operative Actions
▪This order shall take effect from and after this date.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants
Total Words
221
1,293 characters
Estimated Read Time
1 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
31.9
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
-0.19
Framers' Alignment index
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Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 2572, Woodrow Wilson (Apr 3, 1917). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-2572-temporarily-suspending-eight-hour-law-provisions-the-department.
Official Document Text
Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)
In order to enable the Department of Agriculture to meet the requirements of law to secure the more expeditious distribution of valuable seeds authorized by law, and by virture of the authority vested in me by the provisions of the Act of Congress approved March 4, 1917, entitled "An Act making appropriations for the naval service for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and eighteen, and for other purposes," whereby it is provided "That in case of national emergency the President is authorized to suspend provisions of law prohibiting more than eight hours labor in any one day of persons engaged upon work covered by contracts with the United States: Provided further, That the wages of persons employed upon such contracts shall be computed on a basic day rate of eight hours' work, with overtime rates to be paid for at not less than time and one-half for all hours work in excess of eight hours," I do hereby authorize the suspension of the provisions of law prohibiting more than eight hours of labor in any one day of persons engaged in such work under contract with, the Department of Agriculture for thirty days in order to meet present emergency conditions. This order shall take effect from and after this date. WOODROW WILSON THE WHITE HOUSE, April 3, 1917.
