Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-08-14
GENERAL STRIKE
CAN Be AVERTED
ONLY BY WILSON
Managers of Railways and
Union Leaders Summoned
to White House.
CONFERENCE TO BE HELD
AT EARLY HOUR TO-DAY
Final Break Comes When Offer
of Arbitration Is Refused
by Brotherhoods.
EACH SIDE BLAMES OTHER
f President Fails. II Means Para
lying OF Nations In
dustry.
EACH SIDE BLAMEs OTHER
president Fails, II Means Para
lying OF Nations In
duStry.

NEW loRk, August ia general
strike on virtually all the railroads Of
the nation. paralyzing commerce and
throwing approximately 1000 600 mon
out OF employment. can be avertcd ONLY
through tho good Offices OF Pros,do,,
| wilson. as a result of to-dav's devo,on
mentS in the dispute over tho mans
demands for an eight-hour day and time
and half for overtime. The con,ro.
Ncrsy was laid before the President. M
ms invitation, after the workers had
| hatly rejected any form Of arbitration
lneE refused mediation yesterday
soon after accepting the Presidents
summons. extended through the Fed
eral Board of Mediation and Concilia-
ton. the men announced that Tho
| leaders OF the four railroad brother
| hoods would leave for Washington at
midnight. accompanied by thirty of tho
6oo delegates. An hour later the rail.
! road managers, nineteen in number.
said they would leave for the capital
at the same time.
REACH CAPITAL IN TIME
FOR EARLY CONFERENCE
Soth parties will reach Washington
Tomorrow in time for an early confer
cnce with the President. The hour for
the meeting will be arranged by Secre-
tary Tumulty, who started for this
city for Washington late to-day as
Mr. wilson's representative. arriving
| here at o'clock tonight.
Mr. Tumulty brought with him =
communication from President Wilson
addressed to the railroad managers and
tho brotherhoods, pointing out that such
a paralysis of business aa would follow
Il general strike would be q catastrophe
mt any tine, but would be nothing short
oil disaster under present conditions.
On this ground the President based his
request for a conference before q strike
| order Is issued by the leaders OF the
| men.
Negotiations had not been broken off
| when Mr.. Tumulty left Washing ton, but
| when he reached Philadelphia ho re-
ccivcd telegram from w. L. Cham
bers. one OF the mediators. informing
him tho men had declined to arbitrate
Mr. Tumulty's first step after reaching
New York was to call President Will
son on the long gdistance telephone to
decide upon an hour for the conference
at the White House tomorrow.
EACH SIDE BLAMEs
OTHER FOR FAILURE
The final break came late to-day, af-
ter the men had been in secret sos
sion nearly six hours. Reports differ
AS to the reason for the failure OF the
negotiations, in view of the cheerful
| outlook of the night before. The mon
assert they refused arbitration because
tho railroads insisted on arbitratins
their contingent proposition"
| The board OF mediators, in a state
ment issued tonight, declared. how
ever. the men rejected tho proposition,
| contending that they would not arbI-
| tratc evcn IL the railroads waived tho
| contingent proposition.
The statement Of the mediators. is
sued by Judge Martin a. Knapp, chair
man OF tho board. just before their dc.
parture for Washington. follows:
After repeated efforts to bring.
about an arbitration Of the pending
controversy between tho railroads and
their employees in train and yard SER
vice, the United States Board Of Media
ton and Cancellation was to-day ad-
| vised by the representatives of the en-
ployees that they would not submit
the matters in dispute to arbitration
! in any form.
WILL NEITHER ARBITRATE
| NOR SUGGEST PLAN
The employees further stated TO tho
board that they would not arbitrate
their own demands, even IL the con.
tingent demands OF the railroads vera
Withdrawn, and also declined to sup
gest amy thcr plan or method for ,
peaceful settlement OF the controversy
ihey We're informed that their de-
cisioh would be at once made known
10 fresidcnt Wilson, and also that tbe
president claimed the right to a per-
sonai interview with both parties be
tore any drastic action was taken. Thi.
request was, OF course. granted and a
H"rSo delegation of employees, with a
hummer oil railroad managers will be-
In Washington on Monday for a con-
ference with the President
The chief objection of tho mon To
arbitrating the railroads Contingent
proposition" lay in their contention that
'he proposal entailed tho wipinE out
or double-compensation features which
the men have gained during thirty
years OF effort The railroads have
contended that double compensation.
together with the demands OF tho men,
if granted, would increase tho wages
OF many of their employees more than
100 per cent.
Elisha Lee. chairman of tho confer
ence committee OF railroad managers.
declined to discuss tho crisis other than
to say that the railroads had proposed
first mediation and then arbitration
without success He placed tho re-
sponsihility for the utter failure upon
the men.
Mr. Garrctson. the official spokesman