Omaha daily bee., 1909-05-28
Hope that Trains Will Be Harbingers
of Peace.
ULTIMATUM TO THE RAILROAD
Must Decide by Noon Whether Arbi.
tration Will Be Accepted.
ELEVENTH DAY OF STRIKE
Many Towns Have Organized wagon
Trains TO Garry Food Supplies
from Points on Other
Railroads.

ATLANTA, Ca. May IA double crisis
will be reached tomorrow in the Georgia
railroad strike. First will be the starting
OF twelve trains carrying mail only through
community quivering with intense inter
est as to whether white or black firemen
viii feed the engines and as to what in
ferences are to be drawn from the make
up OF the crews, regs rdless OF whether
they are white or black. Hope that the
hail trains VIII be harbingers OF peace pre-
walls. but fears of complications are not
concealed.
The second crisis is the fate OF Arbitrs-
tion. BY noon tomorrow It may be known
NO official announcements have been made
but the assertion that United States Com.
missioner Of Labor Neill has notified Mr.
Scott of the railroad that he must make
final decision, whether he will accent
arbitration has been made.
Tomorrow for the first time a complete
conference on arbitration will be possible
Ihe Georgia Joint Terminal company con-
trolls the tracks on which the Georgia
railroad enters Atlanta and the switchmen
insist that any agreement to arbitrate
must include the Terminal company. Three
directors control this company and up to
today there has not been a majority of
them present in Atlanta to act in con-
currence with the Georgia railroad To-
morrow, however, George Z. Evans fourth
vice president and general manager of the
LOUISVILLE & Nashville, will arrive here
from Nashville and plans have been made
TO call him into conference with General
Manager Scott of the Georgia railroad
who is also a director OF the terminal com
psny.
The determination 20 run the mail trains
has reduced the problem of settlement to
two issues:
First, in what manner the negro shall
be allowed to work and second the inter
ference with interstate commerce and it's
possible result in federal Intervention.
This was the eleventh day OF the strike
on the Georgia railway ard the fIffh day
of no train service. town-to-town can
vass by automobiles in this isolated dis
trict today showed that the various COM
munities affected were now better prepared
for long continued tieup than at any
other time since the strike began With
two exceptions every town on the Georgia
railroad between Augusta and Atlanta is
completely deprived OF freight passenger
and mail service by mail. AS this situation
has become acute the people have organ
the nearest point of railway connection
which is never more than fifty miles dis
tant and usually considerably less. These
wagon trains are carrying such quantities
of food as to prevent the possibility of
suffering and their efficiency has increased
With practice.
The most serious inconvenience today is
from lack of mail service. Only in a few
of the towns are mails being delivered and
this without any regularity.
The race question today stood squarely
blocking the progress Of negotiations for
arbitration. General Manager Scott brought
this proposition to the front, IL is said, by
declaring that before he would consent TO
arbitration there should be some sentiment
that the negro firemen who have worked
for the road for years and who have held
the respect of their officers and fellow
fremen, both black and white, would not
be forced to leave the railroad. The fire
men were reported to be willing to make
concessions in favor of the negroes pro-
vided they could obtain an arrangement
by which negro firemen would not stand
in the way of young white men wishing to
work up to the position OF engineers, a
rank never attained on the Georgia rail-
road by negroes.
Strikers VIII Move Mails.
WASHINGTON, May 2.-Second Assist
ant Postmaster General Stewart today re-
! ceived important telegraphic advices re-
garding the strike situation on the Georgia
railroad.
The most important dispatch wac that
| from Vice President Ball OF the Brother
hood OF Locomotive Firemen, who is con-
ducting the strike.
1T is currently reported he telegraphed,
that an effort is being made TO charge the
Brotherhood OF Locomotive Ffremen and
Enginemen with responsibility for interfer-
ence with the United States mails on the
. Georgia railroad. So far from this bein 2
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