Denver labor bulletin., 1916-07-15
STRIKE VOTE NOW
ON BY RAIL MEN
Count Will Be Made in New
York August First
Four Great Transportation Brother
hoods Mean to Secure Eight-Hour
Day by Strike if Necessary
Especial Correspondence.)

NEW YORK, July lO.-The four great
railroad brotherhoods are now balloting
| on the question of whether or not to
strike for an eight-hour day with time
and half pay for overtime work. Near
ly 100000 men will vote in this refer
endum and when the voting is completed
the chairmen of the general adjustment
committees of the four brotherhoods will
come to New York for the counting of
the votes. The chairmen and the off,
GERS of the four unions will meet in New
York about August for the vote count
and q second conference for the National
Conference Committee representing the
railroads of the United States
The general strike balloting follows
the unsuccessful efforts of the brother
hoods to get their demands accepted at
conference that began in New York
city, June l. The railroad managers
presented counter proposition that was
not acceptable to the officers of the
brotherhoods, so the conferees broke up
after two weeks of discussion.
Sentiment Favors Strike.
General strike sentiment appears to be
strong in all parts of the country, altho
| the brotherhoods have never had strike.
| The last big strike in the railroad in
dustry was in the summer of 1894 when
the American Railway Union, headed by
Eugene V. Debs, tied up the railroads
in the West for thirty days. That strike
was the most bitterly fought of any Ia.
Dor uprising in the history of the nation.
Federal troops We're sent to Chicago
by President Cleveland to break the
strike. 1t was in this strike that the
workers of the United States saw how
completely the power of money had Sc
cured control of the courts and all the
machinery of the states and nation. Gov.
Altgelt stood alone in Illinois in his de
termination to give the workers n square
deal.
Question as to State Militia.
Whether the railroad magnates will
call out the federal troops to drive the
strikers back to work, or whether they
will be called into the militia organiza-
tions of the separate states and ordered
to run the trains like the strikers of
France were forced back to work is more
than any railroad union official can pre-
dict.
Grand Chief Warren s. Stone of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers says
the railroad brotherhoods will be able to
win the strike with ease because the
magnates will be unable to procure strike
breakers. There are not enough skilled
| men in the nation to take the places OF
| the 100000 brotherhood men If they
quit.
Tolerate No Interference.
The other officers of the brotherhoods,
who will lead in the negotiations with
the Conference Committee in about thirty
days and who will lead in the general
strike. if there is one, are President Aus
tin p. Garretson of the Order of Rail-
way Conductors; President w. S. Carter
of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Fire
men and Enginemen, and President w.
G. Lee of the Brotherhood of Railway
| Trainmen.
These officers are at their headquar.
ters now, waiting for reports of the bal
loting on all the railroads of the United
| States. They have made it very plain
to the railroad managers that they will
not tolerate interference with anv of the
local chairmen who are voting the men,
Altho Elisha Lee, assistant general man.
ager of the Pennsylvania railroad. has
assured the brotherhoods that their
members will not be harassed during the
voting, close watch is being kept on
them. IF railroad workers are discrim-
mated against there is possibility of
strikes to avenge the wrongs