The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-03
St .PauI's Chief Of Police Holds
All Men In Readiness
for Trouble
RAILROAD OFFICIALS
CONFIDENT OF WINNING
Arbitration of Difficulty Is Not Easy
According to View of Counsel For
Strikers Owing to Provisions
of the Erdman Law.

St Paul. December 2-Chief John ]
o'Connor of the police department practf.
| cally admitted that he considered ths
switchmens strike situation serious to-
| day, when he issued orders requiring all
! members of the day force to stay on duty
/ at Central station until 10 80 in the even
| ing. and recalled all patrolmen on leave.
| The order goes into effect tonight and
will continue until all danger of clash
between the strikers and the strike break
ers is ended
Several conferences between the chief
and officials of the roads have been held
today According to the latter the begin
ming of the end of the strike Is in sight
One official said that the railroads were
handling 80 per cent of all business Of
fered
We are employing new men as fast az
they come he said. land we are moving
large amount of package freight In a
week the public will not know that there
is a strike on among the switchmen."
Between 200 and 800 men arrived today
from Chicago and were distributed about
st. Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth. The
railway managers claim they can get
| switchmen and that some of the men now
on hand are experienced switchmen.
| Some will be placed at work in the
yards and others will be utilized az
| guards.
switH Engines Working.
| FIVE switch engines were working in
the union depot yards today and others
We're expected to be put in commission
when needed According to Third Vice
President G. T. Slade. way freight service
had been re-established on practically all
lines
Certain ST. Paul wholesale grocers re-
ported that shipping conditions were
somewhat improved while produce men
said that conditions We're unchanged
AS against the optimistic statements of
the railroad managers. the strike leaders
say they are In stronger position TODAY
than they have been since the strike
started They refer to the fact that the
brotherhood of Trainmen and Conductors
passed resolutions today In Joint session
declaring they would stand neutral.
and only do such switching work as they
have always done.
Factory forces are being reduced owing
to the shortage of supplies caused by tina
freight tie-up. and the shops of the Great
Northern railroad here, employing l0oo
men, failed to open for business today
All but one of the twenty-three big flour
mills in Minneapolis are idle.
Men Wear Badges
Imported strike breakers, wearing spe-
ciN police badges, were reported on duty
at the union station yards today Presi-
dent Hawley called the attention of State
Labor Commissioner McEwen to the mat
ter.
4ArEWpn Said man wa
police badges were not residents of Min
neapolis they and those responsible for
tneir presence We're violatin the stale
law and that he will at once order their
arrest If they appear liable under the
law.
Mayor Lawler, retained by the switch
men as legal counsel, addressed mass
meeting of the switchmen in Minneap-
oils alast night. During the course of
his remarks he said:
THE five men you have selected to lead
your strike are tried men and true. and
I would rather follow their lead than
that of the ten gentlemen at the Hotel
Ryan In St Louis Some of the news
par pers give you the employers side only
and state that the managers were nor
notified until too late of the contem-
plated action of the switchmen, but
state here and now that they knew TO
a man that the strike order was issued
ana Inat I16t IDHue no oHer OF a set
tlement to avert the impending trou-
bIe."
When President Hawley, of the Switch
mems union, was shown the statement of
the general managers in Chicago regard
ing the refusal of the men to arbitrate
their difference, he said:
Il do not care to make a formal
answer to that until consult with Mayor
Lawler. who is our legal adviser. Mr..
Lawler, however, has answered every
point raised by the general managers
committee in his statement which was
made public here today"
Position of Strikers.
Mayor Lawler in his statement defined
the position of the men and the refusal
to aribtrate under the Erdman law.
The mayor says that the railroad man
ayers, making a concerted action through
the press to create public opinion in their
favor, are not in position to charge
the men with unfairness in refusing to
aribtrate under that law for the reason
that from the beginning of the dispute
the managers refused to consider sug
aestion relative to an increase in wages
for the men.
Mayor Lawler says the Erdman law
Is so hedged about with legal provisions
that should the switchmen agree to arbi-
trate under the law that they would be
striped of all legal power to legitimately
press their claims and it would put them
completely in the power of the rail
roads.
Mayor Lawler says. admitting that the
decision were favorable to the switch
men. the railroads might appeal to the
courts and delay a Anal decision from
one to two years. during which time they
would be compelled to work under the
old schedule of wages and It would be
illegal for them to strike or In any wa9