The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-31
Ninety-eight Per Cent Ready
to Walk Out at Given
Signal
SAY RAILROAD READY
TO MEET EMERGENCY
Official Declares They Have
Men to Fill Places of Amy
Who Wish to Strike
Conference Today

The Chesapeake and Ohio clerks,
uinety-eight PR cent Of them, accor-
ding to a statement given out last
night by Vice Grand President ]. r.
Riley, have voted to strike.
The vote was tabulated yesterday
afternoon and 1903 OF something like
1900 clerks announced their prepared
ness to walk out at moments notice.
The strike now awaits the approval
of the officers Of the Brotherhood Of
Railway Clerks, and in them is reposed
the authority to give the signal for the
walk out
Officers Here Today.
Grand President j. J. Carrigan OF
Kansas City. and Vice Grand Pres
ident j. J. Forester of Columbus. o..
will arrive in Richmond at $50 o'clock
this morning to take charge of the sit
uation.
As the chief bone of contention In
the refusal to the c. & O. officials
to recognize the union. IL Is understood
that that ultimatum will be presen-
ted to the road today and perhaps
u hours given the officials in which
time to say whether they will recede
from their position. This Is not GER
tain. however, as the strike order may
he sent out today at noon without
waiting further word from the road.
Everything depends upon the action
of the brotherhood officers today.
Mr.. Riley claims that the road Is all
ready embarrassed by the premature
strike at Newport News. where. he
clans. all but II out of 50 walked
out and that these are already to go
out when the general strike order
is issued This road denies
The only negative votes on the
strike proposition, he says. were at
fthe small .stations where the mem Ia
| not Thoroughly undSt (and the tssus.
Cofferencef6f Onlc1afs.
A conference of the officiais Of the
road was held yesterday afternoon
at the general offices, but II was said
at its conclusion that there was to be
no formal statement for the press.
In conversation. however one OF
the officials let 1t be known that tho
road had no intention Of receding
from it's position of refusing to recog-
nize the union. General Manager
Johnson he said. lis ready and
willing at all times to receive the
clerks rs individuals, and give heed
to any grievances they may entertain,
but he will not recognize the union
This official stated furthermore that
the road apprehends no trouble at
all in dealing with the situation. At
Newport News. he said, only thirty
nine out of eighty-two men had gono
out and the places OF the strikers
had not been all satisfactorily filled.
but applicants for the vacancies had
been turned away. There are plen-
~ of applications on hand, he said.
To fill the places Of all the men who
care to leave the service of the road.
Road Not Worrying.
The clerks In the general ofnces
of the road here. ne says. are not
in sympathy with the movement and
have shown no disposition to take
part In II. He expressed the BELIEF
that they would remain loyal to the
road AT any rate the road has adopt
ed the 1--WE should worry" attitude
apparently. and seems little concern
ed by threats of strike.
Vice-Grand President Riley said
last night that the officials expected
To act conservativeIy and with due
consideration for both the road ana
the clerks They would take time
today to deliberate carefully over the
matter before taking action. The
only Issue he said, was the demand
of the clerks to be accorded the same
right to organize as is accorded other
branches of the railroad service.
General Chairman n. K Hender-
shott said last night that the clerks
in the general offices here would not
he called out. Furthermore. ne
stated. that neither would these men
consent 10 take the places of strikers
anywhere else on the system. The
strike. he said, If 1t is called, will not
affect the passenger traffic OF the road
to any extent.
General Manager Johnson leaves
for trip over the Buckingham divf-
sion of the Chesapeake and Ohio.