The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-03-17
Urges on Railroads and Their
Employees Danger. to Coun.
try Arising From Strike
ACCOMMODATION OF
DISPUTE IMPERATIVE
In Event OF Strive Government
May Prevent Tie Up BY
Taking Over Operation of
All Railroads Involved
Nv T.. r. sartwcli, STAFF Corrcspon-
dent International News Ss-r1icc.1

dent International News Scrxicc.)
Washington March i6.~~The full
power Of the United States govern
fnenf will be exertcd tn prevent n
nationwide strike OF railroad EN-
pioyes that would cripple the nation
in the grave international crisis which
IL nov contronts. Following a cab! =
net meeting. AT which President W.T.
SOIL. leaving his sick room reviewed
the railroad situation with his ad =
viser~, the following steps were taken:
The cGtl.lc.l OF national defense.
~,th the approval of the president,
ordered Secretary of the Interior
Lam. Secretary Of labor Wilson.
EhaN man Daniel Willard. Of the ad =
ElSory commits. on of the council, and
SamHti Gonpers president Of the
An5,t tren Federation OF Labor and a
GncE} pet VI The advisory commission
&" Hev 1ork. W4gh instructions to rep
rcst I'll 10 tho brotherhood chiefs and
the railroad heads the ~Stave peril"
- she situation
Irgc> an Accommodation
In u personal telegram to the four
lrothcrho"d chiefs and the chairman
~ tho 'atfYoad managers, President
Wilson % t3e reopening OF ncgo-
ftai}ons 20 settle the controversy. He
GeGlsr hat the safety OF the country
against manifest perilS affecting its own
peace and the peace OF the whole
y ORD tHfakes accom- MED alton ef this
question ABSOLUTELY imperative
Under the direction of the p.esi-
t3eut. Acknowledgement Gregory ana
his assistants undertook an exhaustive
review nt the legal phases OF the situ-
alton. with particular attention to the
legal stems that were taken by Presi-
tlen. Cleveland IN 1898 20 combat the
strike OF railroad employees.
officials Apprei,cnsivc,
Admin srra ton officials tonight
',,t,le no effort 70 Disguise the appre-
hcnaiou with which they viewed the
situation. There Was apparent a grim
determination Ia go tn almost any
lengths TO the haltms even for short
time Of the transportation facilities OF
the nation The war partment the
navy department and the council Of
rational defense, which have been
bard at work on plans for the mobili-
2ation Of tho commercial and indus
trial resources "f the nation TO pre-
pare the nation cot a possible war. saw
In the threatened strike the doom Of
thar comprehensive defense pro-
posals " was 10 avert tbs disastrous
cyfart of a nation wide strike that the
defense council selected its mediation
commission. Tonight 1t was stated
that President Wilson In prepared TO
stretch every federal authority to the
breaking point 10 halt a strike
To Urge n Compromise.
Secretary OF the Interior Lane head
ing the com mission left Washington
late this afternoon. and arranged to
meet the four brotherhood chiefs Inn
inediately upon his arrival In New
York Secretary of Labor Wilson left
several hours later and planned to
Join the conference on his arrival.
Daniel willard and Samuel Gompers
were not in Washington when the
commission VAS named. but they were
notified to meet the cabinet members
IN New York. Secretary Lane was
determined To make an effort to and
ronpromise ground of agreement by
tho railroads and their employees some
time tonight. but when he left Wash
incton hr had not vet framed any sug-
eestion of basis Of agreement. The
move of the defense council was made
without any animation as to how the
two contending parties would look
upon it's proposals.
To Move Through Military Arm
Tonight the fact that the president
had chosen to move through the m'li-
tary establishment TO deal with tho
strike situation was accepted in WASH
ingtop as significant The defense
council mediators were given their In
structions by Secretary OF War Baker.
az chairman OF the council In a letter
which directed: That you present to
The representatives Of both sides the
grave peril involved in such a situa-
lion at this time. and that you request
them so to adjust their differences as
IN any event to lead to /. postpone
ment of any acute difficulty during the
present national emergency"
The department Of justice tonight
nored over the presidents connected
with the railroad strike of 1924. when
president Cleveland used the regular
army TO prevent interference with tho
mails and with interstate commerce.
*The attorney general reviewed. in de,
taif tho proceedings by which tbs
then attorney general. Richard Olney,
s,rceeded in securing injunctions
restraining the strikers from hating
mall trains or interstate trains It
vess 10 back up these injunc,ions that
tha army was called on. The at
fnrney-geueral likewisa looked into
- possibility OF prosecutions under