The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-03-16
GOVT TAKES ACTION

efforts to avert a strike fail.
There is also a possibility of hasten
ing a session of congress, II necessary.
in order to secure powers for the
president to bring government forces
into play to handle the crisis
The president, still weakened from
his protracted illness, will leave his
room for the first time in nine days
to attend the cabinet meeting.
Propose Wilson as Arbiter.
Washington, March 16.-President
Wilson will act on suggestions by the
railway brotherhoods or managers
that he mediate in the eight-hour day
strike set for Saturday, ii such sugges-
lions reach him. This can be stated
on the highest authority
New York, March 16.-Indications
that President Wilson may be asked to
mediate in threatened railway strike
scheduled to begin tomorrow evening,
developed today when the railroad
managers hurriedly went into confer
as president of the Brotherhood of
Railway Trainmen, suggested the step.
The brotherhood chiefs followed the
example of the managers and also
went into an informal conference. Lee
made his statement in talking with
newspaper men and the quicknesS
with which the railway managers
went into conference, led to the belief
that it was being favorably considered.
w G. Lee, chairman of the train
mems brotherhood, declared today
thar 95 per cent of the men called out
Saturday night will strike.
No Bluff This Time.
The railway managers cannot get
it into their heads that this strike is
real and apparently they will not be-
lieve it until they wake up sunday
morning and find their trains
stopped" he said.
The railroads claim at least TWEEN
ty-fiye per cent of their men Will re-
main loyal, this group being composed
of men who have long service behind
them ana are nearing the time when
pensions would become operative.
President Daniel Willard of the Bal
timore & Ohio. member of the Ma
tional Defense council who would sit
with President Wilson's cabinet in case
of war. is in Washington tdday. He
left Immediately after the break in
negotiations and there was hope here
that the fact that he is former engi-
neer a railway president. semi
official adviser of President Wilson,
would enable him to draw together
the various threads of the contro-
versy.
Washington, March 16.-President
Wilson and other government officials
today canvassed all phases of the rail-
road strike situation but their hope of
preventing it did not seem very strong
Congress at the last session failed to
pass a bill to empower the president
to seize and operate railroads in an
emergency.
Many officials today were inclined
to doubt the efficacy of a personal
appeal from the president to railroads
and employees to compose their diff
ferences. Those more optimistic be-
lieved a compromise would be ar
ranged, perhaps even after the first
phases of the strike had been put into
effect.
Strike-Maine to California.
New York, March 16.-Peace nego-
tiations between the railroads and the
employees brotherhoods have failed.
The country today faces the prospect
of a strike of conductors, engineers,
firemen and trainmen that will tie up
railroads transportation from Maine
to California. At Z O'Clock eastern
time, Saturday night, unless President
Wilson successfully intervenes or an
unexpected compromise is reached,
the strike will begin with the freight
and yard employees of the New York
Central, the Nickel Plate and Ba1ti-
more and Ohio lines and in the switch
ing yards at Chicago and st. Louis.
Strike orders call at first for a ceS-
sation of work only on freight trains.
The employees expect that their first
display of strength will bring the
roads to terms. If it fails, the strike
will be extended on successive days
to freight employees throughout the
country until by Wednesday all the
roads will be affected.
Passenger Crews Quit Wednesday.
On Wednesday, if the railroads still
hold out, the men will begin to leave
the passenger trains. If the men carry
out their program every mile of rail-
road in the country both freight and
passenger service will feel the effects
of the strike by Monday, March 26.
Plans to combat such a strike were
completed by the railroads of the
country last winter when the crisis
was averted by the action of Wilson
and the passage of the Adamson law.
Each road apparently will work out
it's individual methods. Indications
today are that the managers hope a
large percentage of their men will re-
fuse to obey the strike order and that
partial service will be maintained.
Appeals to employees to remain
loyal were issued last night by the
New York Central and the Baltimore
& Ohio roads, which would be among
the first affected by the walkout One
railroad authority said today that if
| the roads could keep six trains in
movement every day on their MAN
| lines they would break the strike The
roads expect to accomplish this and
perhaps more by manning trains with
| pensioned employees. foremen, dis
/ patchers and traffic and office men not
members of the striking brotherhoods
Thus far the railroads have announced
no plans for recruiting srrikebreakers
outside the service.
| Expect General Freight Embargo.
| Indications that the railroad man
ayers fear the strike will begin as ex-
pected is seen in the action of many
eastern and middle western railroads
i which began to issue freight EN- bar
| goes last night. Some of the western
roads put out notices to shippers that
freight would be received subject to
delay
Railroad executives here believe
that the American Railway associa-
ton at its meeting in Washington to-
day will recommend a general freight
embargo. The effect of the railroad
situation was aDDarent here todav II,