The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-03-13
Men Give Managers Until
Thursday to Yield Dis
puted Points.
WON'T AWAIT RULING
BY SUPREME COURT
President May Order Seizure
Of Freight and Passen-
ger Trains.


| strikes, the frst of which Is schedule
to De called Saturday night at O'Clock.
the big Four" railroad bro:herhoods
plan to produce a national t!cup OF
freight and passenger traffic on Wednes-
day, March 81. AS the scheme is framed
at present the brotherhood men will per-
sist in their intention to paralyze the
trade of the country unless the road
managers yield to them on Thursday in
all the demands presented prior TO the
passage OF the Adamson act las; year.
The programme aims at the Gripping
OF the country in territorial divisions,
the first blow being intended to block
of traffic to the Atlantic seaboard and
the second to shut New York from the
rest OF the country. Tho third is directed
against the Northwest and affects trans
continental lines. the climax. set for
Wednesday. is designed to halt all
freight and passenger trains in the
United States.
The plan has been mapped wl.hou,
relation to the pending decision on the
Adamson law. 1t was generally expected
in the railroad world that no opinion
states Supreme Court yesterday. There
fore II the constitutionality Of the act is
determined next Monday 1t will have
practically no effect on the strikes, as
they will be in progress by tina. time.
Managers Intend to Resist.
When Information OF this strike scheme
vas impaired to railroad managers yes
terday they were found 10 be a uni. in
their intention to resist a compromise to
stave OF the menace. From what could
be learned the conference that has been
called for next Thursday when the big
Four" chiefs will present their demand
will result in no advantage to the BROTH
erhood men. The managers will not COM
nit themselves to any proposition, tenn
porary or permanent, until the highest
court has passed on the validity OF the
Adamson law.
That this outcome has been foreseen
is made apparent IN the preparations
OF the organizations In the big rail-
road centres meetings OF the local chair
men have been called to arrange de-
tails OF the strikes operation. To-day
the men of the southwestern roads will
meet in Washington there will be a
meeting IN 81 Paul either to-day or
tomorrow OF men employed on the
roads Of the Northwest, and the chair
men OF roads entering New York viii.
foregather here on Wednesday.
As the situation stands now there is
no necessity for new strike vote. The
ballot OF last summer Is held s,ill to
be in force. BY the authority conferred
on the four chiefs to take arbitrary
action at any tme--this was at the
meeting in Chicago on January 1.-The
men are pledged 10 obey.
Freight strike on seven Roads.
According 10 the brotherhoods' plans
the men on the freight trains will ouit
work on Saturday night on the follow
ing roads:
New York Central. Baltimore and
OHIO. the Erie, the Atlantic Coast Line,
the Southern, Louisville and Nashville
and the Seaboard Air Line.
At the same hour on Monday the
strike will reach all other roads enter
ing New York with the exception of the
New Haven. The reasons for this dis
elimination are not known outside the
hrotherhOods yet. The roads reaching
the southeast. including the Pennsyl-
vania, the Lackawanna, the Central
Railroad OF New Jersey and the Ontario
and Western, will be hit by the strike
on this day.
on Tuesday the roads Of the North
"tSt viii sItltI, ShtU Will quiz on the
Great Northern, the Northern Pacific
the 81. Pau, and other main systems in
that territory, In the final working out
Of the strike plan freight and PASSENGER
men will be taken of all other lines on
Wednesday night
With the primary step In the scheme
the big four" brotherhoods intend 10
make idle on Saturday night 10000 miles
OF road. The first walkout will take
10000 men from trains. BY Wednesday
all OF the 100000 members OF the
brotherhoods hope 20 be out. They ex-
pect that their tieup viv halt the ac-
tlvity OF the 100000 who now earn
their living in railroad employ
Men Expect q Compromise.
q Although none Of the brotherhood men
In New York yesterday would discuss
for publication the strike programme.
neither would any make denial that the
plan has been devised. 1t is the general
expectation of the leaders in the "big
four" that the railroads will be beaten
to at least n fair compromise before the
nnsl step is taken. SO confident are they
OF success in the enterprise that at the
conference on Thursday more advan-
taGes than are vouchsafed them under
the Adamson act will be dema nded.
They not only will request the eight
hour day at the existing schedule OF
wages for ten hours work but they will
couple with this the demand for time
and a half for overtime. It Is UNDER
stood that they will insist on full COM
pliance with both these features ire
spective OF any finding by the United
States Supreme Court So II the law Ii
Comsinued on TAtyd Page.