Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-28
$500 SWITCHMEN
QUIT IN CHICAGO
Strike Affects 10 Railroads
and Will Depress Nations
Traffic System
WAR WORK IN DANGER
WASHINGTON, July %.

Commissioner G. w. Hanger, of the
United States Board of Mediation and
Cancellation, is in Chicago negotiating
with the railways and the union lead
ers. 1t Is understood here the switch
men are not anxious for mediation.
The seriousness of tie-up in Chicago.
cutting of the West and Northwest
from the eastern munitions plants and
the coast supply ports. may justify the
Department of Labor in taking a hand,
although nothing has yet been done.
| CHICAGO, July 2s.
Twenty-Five hundred switchmen on nine
teen railroads out of Chicago went on strike
| early today
| Although the strike is in the local switch
ing yards, 1t will have a depressing effect
on virtually all transcontinental traffic.
II the strike is prolonged it will seriously
| hamper movements of troops and war sup
| plies Coal, fuel and food will also be tied
| up and factories which are working night
and day on war munitions will be seriously
| affected.
| TWO FACTIONS AT WAR
Al factories will be hit II the strike
| continues. but the railroad heads today
were hiring men to take the places of the
| strikers.
Tile normal freight car movement in
| Chicago Is 10000 cars day. but of late,
because of war conditions, it has been 3d.
| 600 cars or more.
The strike is primarily the result of the
efforts of $500 members of the Brotherhood
| of Railway Tranmen to obtain a closed
shop. This group comprises only about
| haN the local swtchmen. The others are
members of the Switchmens Union of North
| America and are affiliated with the A. F. L.
They were at work as usual today.
with organized labor supporting the
| Swtchmen's Union of North America, the
| strike resolves into fight between the
railroads and organized labor on the one
side and the brotherhood switchmcn on
| the other.
Hundreds of switchmen from all part.
Of The country were pouring into Chicago
today to aid the railroads in breaking the
strike. The Switchmens Union of Nortf
| America. which charges the Brotherhood
swtcnmen with striking to force the 8. u
n. A. to the wall by asking for a closed
shop, is said to be aiding the railroads II
importing the ike-breakers
Fears of a sympathetic strike by thu
Brotherhood of Engineers, Firemen ant
Conductors were dispelled today with th
announcement that these men would re
main at work.
Large details Of police were sent to tn
railroad yards to guard against violence.
1t will he a fight for liberty and democ
racy against the autocracy Of KAISER Bill
Lee. president of the "B. r.. t." said w. j
Troust. general organizer of the Switch
mems Union.
RAILROADS AFFECTED
The following roads are affected by, tn
strike:
Atchison. Topeka and Santa Fe. Balti
more and Ohio. Chicago and Alton, Chicag
and Western Indiana, Chicago and North
western, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy
Chicago Junction, Chicago, Milwaukee an
st. Paul. Chicago, Indianapolis and Louis
vile, Indiana Harbor belt, Illinois Centra
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern, Me-
York. Chicago and st. Louis. Pittsburgh
Cincinnati, Chicago and st. Louis, Pitts
burgh Fort Wayne and Chicago, Belt Raj
way of Chicago, Wabash, and Chesapeake
and Ohio.
RAILROADS DECLARE EMBARGO
The railroads last night sent out no
tices of an embargo on live stock an
| perishable freight to and through Chicago
This announcement was made by Fran
Hasler. of the committee of railroad gen
eral managers.
Mr.. Hasler said the embargo notice
would be sent as soon as possible. The EN-
barge, he said would be for the duratio
of the strike. ending automatically as 500
as a peace agreement was signed.
George f. Hanover, chairman Of tn
roads conference committee, sent the 70
lowing notices to the city officials:
The conference committee of managers
of the roads are u1 threafened ten by ,u,te the
Il a strike of the yardmen employees in their
Chicago terminals IL they do not make
concessions which would estapilsn tne
/. | Shn in fQ
organization and deprive the manage
ments of the power to select yardmasters
| and their assistants. ,.,
strike of the members Of the switch
mems Union employed In their Chicago
terminals If they do Yield to s,,rn the demahas MANS
men, because this would close the door OF
employment against many members Of
the Switchmens Union osod
| mediation by the Federal Mediation ana
! Cancellation Board, which has been de.
cined by the Brotherhood of Railroad
a strike vote has been taken, and Mr..
Murdock vice president OF the trainmen,
has notified us that the memHers dIeis,cf Of @ nis
be withdrawn from service at a. M
Saturday July 2S. .
3 deai Of interruption to traffic in the Chi
cago switching districts, while the rail-
roads will need protection to enable them
to conduct their business
lanes Murdoch, vice president of th
4 brotherhood, denied that the switchme
were seeking a closed shop, and charae
terlzed the reasons given out by the raj
4 road managers as causing the strike a
A "unuualifiedly incorrect" He said ss pc
cent of the switchmen had voted IN tavo
of a strike because the railroads had re
/, fused to grant requests made by tn
:: brotherhood