The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-09-26
RAILWAY CLERKS
 DECLARE: STRIKE Results in Bad Tie Up at
 New Orleans 800 MEN ARE NOW OUT Beyond an Occasional Jeer at Those Who Remained at Work There
 Was No Unseemly
 Conduct
800 MEN ARE NOW OUT

Memphis, September e5.-If an order issued late today by J. J. Carrigan, pres ident of the Clerks union of the lllinoios Central railroad. is obeyed all members of that organization south of the Ohio river will be on strike tomorrow morning. In Memphis not only the clerks but practically every member of the employees federation in local freight sheds and shops of the Illinois Central and Yazoo and Mississippi Valley roads left desks and tools.
 That the walkout of the shopmen at Memphis is initiatory to a general move- ment of organized labor on the Illinois Central and it's subsidiary lines is be-
 ieved
 MT. Carrigan, who has established tenn porary headquarters in Memphis, ex- plains the walkout of the clerks as a direct result of the inability of the union official to affect an agreement with the railroad For the other employees no statement is forthcoming other than < general reference to the effectual eff forts of labor leaders to have the rail roads recognize the employees fedora tion.
 Representatives of the striking em- ployes assert that the tie up will be complete. s. H. Norris general super
 ntendent of the Illinois Central. de clares that by tomorrow the railroa' will be in position to cope with tht present situation.
 In the absence of H. B. Brown, gen. eral foreman of the local shops, others in authority in the mechanical depart ment would make no statement. In all more than 800 men are out in | this city. The clerks first left their work and then the machinists. boilermakers | backsmiths, carmen. sheet metal work.
 CTS and the unionzed laborers. Beyond | an occasional jeer for those who re-
 mained at work, there was no unseemly conduct in connection with the walkout Union officials declare there will be nc | disorder. Clerks at the freight shed. were replaced by employees hurried from 1 the general and commercial offices O | the two roads. For the time being | freight is not being received for 'locaf | points.
 | Mir. Carrigan lisclaims responsibility ol l official knowledge of the strike of the | shopmen Dissatisfaction among thu I clerks originated in December. 1910, h' asserts
 | At that tlnae,a he declared tonight l officials of the Illinois Central entere, l into an agreement with the clerks em ployed on the Yazoo and Mississippi Val ley railroads by which recognition was granted the union south of Memphis. The next day we were notified that the agree ment had been annulled. Since ther there has been dissatisfaction and the clerks have been kept at work with diff culty.
 "'I have called every clerk on the entire system out on strike and if there Is any failure it will not be through any fault of mine. The strike was only called after we had done everything req sonable men could expect of us.' New Orleans, September 25.-What is be- lieved will be general strike of organ ized railway clerks of the Illinois Cen tral and Yazoo and Mississippi Valley railroad system was started here to- day at noon when nearly 300 clerks en- gagged at the various yards, depots and offices of the two systems in this city walked from their desks, resulting in prac- tically a complete tie-up of business al the affected stations.
 The men marched to their hall and after holding & conference a statement was given out to the effect that the strike was the result of the railroads failure to rec onlze the union and arrange a system contract, and the discharge of three mem- bers of their organization at East St. Louis, because. it is said, they held union cards. According to the clerks the rail road sent three men from Mounds. Ky, to fill the vacancies at East St. Louis, but they refused to go to work upon learn ing the cause of the vacancies, the com pany then refusing to take them back to Mounds
 The system organization includes the Illinois Central from this city to Prince ton, Ky. and all of the lines of the Yazoo and Mississippi Valley. The Chicago clerks are organized with the freight han dlers.
 The clerks, 1t is said, demand system contract with the organization. The strike was unexpected as there was no in- timation of impending trouble between their organization and the railroad since the recent conference between the federal ton officials and the officials of the rail- road at Chicago.
 T. E. Hill superintendent of the Lous-
 lana division, said today that he expected no trouble in filling the places of the striking clerks without serious interrup- tior to business. The striking clerks held meeting this afternoon for the pur- pose of discussing the situation and prep aration of a statement for the public
 It is said here that the clerks at Mem phis will also strike.
 Chicago, September 25.-T J. Foley, as- sistant general manager of the Illinois Central railroad, said today that the rail- road had received no request from clerks for negotiations to settle union disagree ments.
 "Offcials of the Illinois Central know nothing of any negotiations or any griev ances that the clerks may have,' he said.
 There are much fewer than 600 clerks in and around New Orleans, where I have heard that a few quit work. So far as l know the road has nothing to negotiate with them.'
 
 Mnn v,C ACE IIEDAT