The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-12-31
SWlTCHMEN ENn
NEGOTIATIONS
RAILROAD PEACE CONFFp
ENCE TERMINATES
SUDDENLY
Railroads Reject Demand f.
Complete Reinstatement of tbs
Strikers Leaders Predict that
Strike of Other Railroad px.n
erhoods Will Soon Be Gill;,

st. Paul, Dec. 2S.-Contrarr
pectations, developments dur;no ~ eS'
day in the controversy between ~ me
railroads of the Northwest and W. tle
striking switchmen. instead Of ro,. S,'e
ing in an amicable settlement ~ f'. :,
strike. resulted in wider breach =. .le
has existed heretofore. Not onlv b baan
the switchmen declared off all .neoo ote
ations with the railroads. Init l GU
leaders say there is sire ny POSSIBILITY Gof
of general strike by all allied ord0:
belonging to the railroad branch Of th
American Federation of Labor - WIG
H. B. Perham, acting as president =.
the executive council in session ba, VI
has left for Washington to seek advioe'
"There may be more penor.,
strike" said Mr.. Perham. "'
President Hawley, of the scitcbmer,,
union, asserted: .
Several other members of the ro;,
road council besides Mr.. Perham lof.
for their headquarters last night ~
make preparations for strike Of tbo;,
respective ORDERS
Mr.. Perham, speaking of yesterdays
developments, said:
Railroads Are Blamed by Men
Friday we we're on the verge Of o
settlement. and we thought the matter
would be fixed up yesterday. But the
railroads then presented mysterious
change of front and assumed such an
arrogant attitude that we decided at
once to have nothing more to do with
them.
II am leaving tonight for Washing.
ton. have business in Chicago and
Cincinnati first, but will arrive at the
capital on Thursday. AS the interyen.
ton of state authorities has failed
shall seek aid of the United States in
putting an end to a controversy that is
causing bankruptcy and suffering to
innocent people who have no voice in
the NATTER
Mr.. Perham would not state as to
which department at Washington he
would appeal. He said he might seek
to interest the interstate commerce
commission and he might take the mat.
ter di1ecly to President Taft.
Would Re-employ Men Gradually
In the conference between the roads
and labor leaders yesterday, the rail-
road officials refused to take back all
the swtchmen at once, but agreed to
re-employ all those for whom they had
places. They gave the switchmen until
IL o'clock Wednesday to accept this
offer. The offer was Immediately re-
jected by the labor leaders
Later in the afternoon, President
Hawley and Mr.. Perham called on
Gov. Eberhart and asked him to invite
the interstate commerce commission to
intercede. The governor replied that
he did not care to act on this request
until he had consulted the attorney
general, who was out of the city, but
who would return today. Asked as to
how long it would take to call a gen.
eral strike if such a conclusion were
reached, Mr.. Perham said:
"Some of the orders can be called
out Immediately. There would be some
delay in calling out others because OF
difference in the method of procedure
in such cases. :"
View of General Managers
Chicago, Dec. go. L. Dickerson,
speak, lg for the General Managers
Association, gave out the following
statement:
''The conference between the rail'
roads and President Hawley, OF the
Switchmen's Union, ended in Gov
Eberhart's Office yesterday morning;
President Haw1ey demanded that al
the striking switchmen be relnsta'su
at once, pending settlement. line lans
roads offered to take the men back a.
fast as possible without displaclnss
men now at work. Mr.. Hawley Woulu
not agree to anything but comple.0
reinstatement of all men. ConSe.
quently further negotiations were ~
an end. The only important polne =.
difference was complete reinstatement
Of all strikers at once. i;
"The railroa Is have officially no,l
fed Gov. Eberhart that they Will INV ,ar
open their proposition to MI. hS"'''
until WoTnocdov -