St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1911-09-30
BIG STRIKE
OF |. C. CLERKS
Between Four and Five Hun
dred Men Go On a Strike
Two Strikes Now On and
Another Threatened
Transportation Beginning To
Be Somewhat Serious
No Serious Trouble or Con-
gestion Yet Felt

New Orleans, Sept. 27.-The scope
of the strike of the clerks of the
Illinois Central Railroad was brought
to critical point Wednesday morn
ing by the walk-out of the carmen
from Harahan and New Orleans, be-
tween 400 and 500 men in all.
With this new phase in the local
situation, together with reports that
the machinists here will walk-out
Wednesday afternoon, and dispatches
from Memphis and other points
along the line that other crafts are
preparing to join the clerks at those
places, there appears to be good
warrant for the prediction, al
ready made by union officials here,
that the strike will become general
throughout all branches of the Fed
Grafton of Employees of the Illinois
Central.
| The carmen are understood to have
struck for recognition of the Fed
Grafton. No official statement has
been given out by their officials, but
i this is in accordance with the in
formation gained from the strike'
headquarters of striking clerks, in
charge of w. E. Bowen, who is also
president of the local Federation.
The carmen will meet Wednesday
afternoon at McMahon's Hall. A
statement will likely be issued after
the meeting.
With the two strikes now on and
another threatened, considerable
| fear is being felt in transportation
circles that traffic will be seriously
in1peded if not shut off, where inter-
change with the Illinois Central is
| concerned. Superintendent Cliff, of
the l. c., however, appeared little
disturbed Wednesday, and said that
the tIh1e company intended to run its road
Inbound freight was said to have
been handled Wednesday with less
difficulty than on Tuesday. Accord
I'M, to Mr.. Gift about 100 of the
| clerks have been replaced, more than
rs of them by clerks who have been
secured from out of town. Out
bound freight is not yet Hying re-
ceived, but the officials hope to be
able to resume this part of the busi-
ness at least in part, by Thursday.
THE clerks who are being taken
on in place of those who deserted
the company Mr.. Cliff said, "are
being engaged permanently.
At the headquarters of the strik-
ing clerks, w. E. Bowen, who is
directing the strike, refused to admit
that the walk-out5of the carmen was
forerunner of general strike, but
he said that the situation was wholly
satisfactory. ~
Concerning the machinists he said
that he understood that strike was
possible, but that he had no definite
information on the matter.
The clerks who have been made
defendants in the injunction suit by
tifc Illinois Central, so Mr.. Bowen
SAID, will not contest the case He
added that no violence had been
committed, nor was intended, so
that an injunction would not change
their position.
No encounters were reported
Wednesday between the non-union
clerks and sympathizers with the
striking clerks.
At 1:S0 o'clock it was learned
over the telephone, from the round
house at Harahan that the machin-
lists had not struck and would not
until walk-out had been authorized
by the headquarters.
The carmen walked out at 9
O'Clock Wednesday morning. There
were between 400 and 500 in all,
about 400 being employed at Hara-
han and the rest in New Orleans.
At the headquarters of the clerks, /
Poydras and Franklin streets, w. E.
Bowen, president of the local fed
GRAFTON, who is directing the strike
OF the clerks, said at noon Wednes-
day that he had not been informed
as to the causes leading up to the
walkout of the carmen, but that he
understood they had struck for rec
ognition of the federation, and not
sor grievances affecting merely their
own organization.
Situation Critical.
With the carmen out in addition