The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1919-08-07
RAILWAY sAopMEN STRIKE
5000 Out in Kansas City. Several
Roads Affected. May Result in
Transportation Tie-Up.

: Kansas City, Aug. 6.-The PRO
test strike" of the shopmen in Kan
sas City had swept into its vortex a.
SIS men last night, passed far beyond
control of the officials of the shop
crafts organization, and was threat
ening to not only draw in the one
thousand men who remained at work
yesterday, but seriously interfere
with commerce bv crippling the To-
comotives of the system.
The strikers laughed and jeered
messages from the head officers of
their craft yesterday, urging .modera-
ton and advising them that the
strike was illegal" when these were
read at a mass meeting in Shawnee
Park. The meeting. was scheduled
for Daniels Hall, but long before the
time set the crowd clearly showed
that the hall would be too small and
it was decided to move to the park.
Two thousand men attended the
meeting and cheered the speakers
who advocated Strike"
One thousand shopmes of the Mis-
souri, Pacific quit work following a
hurried vote which began at 1890
O'Clock yesterday afternoon. Off
cials said the action of the men was
complete surprise to them.
Boilermakers and carmen of the
Santa Fe are expected to join the
strikers today.
Only the Burlington and Kansas
City Southern shopmen were at work
when the whistle sounded last night.
They said they would join the strike
today.
An engine can be operated only
three or four days without repair.
The strike threatens to seriously in
terferc with the moving of freight.
Factory owners were preparing for
emergencies, should the strike inter-
fcre with transportation by the
freight handlers being drawn into the
agitation.
Washington, Aug. 5.-The threat
of railroad strike continues to
spread throughout the county de-
spite the efforts of the organized
labor heads to hold the men in check
until authoritative and official strike
votes can be taken.
Shoprnen, everywhere throwing
down their tools in premature strike,
it was reported, were threatening ma
tional industry. because without them
the railroad equipment cannot be
kept in useable order at the most nec-
essary of all times-crop moving sea-
son.
Above that hovered the threat of
an even more serious labor situation.
the demand of all the organized rail-
road industry that the profits of the
business be overhauled to9retire pri-
vate capital and create a new partite
Reports began coming in today
saying that unless railroad equip.
ment can be kept in running order,
mills, mines and factories will be
threatened with closing. 1t was re-
ported that there are more than two
thousand cars now out of
Formal announcement was made
tonight of the final tabulations in the
referendum conducted among busi-
ness men by the Chamber of Com
merce of the United States on the
question 6f government ownership of
railroads More-ti1an 90 per cent of
the vote, the official announcement
said, was against it.
From many parts of the country
today came reports that striking
shopmen refused to return to work,
despite the~fact that their action was
denounced as illegal by the executive
council of the six shop crafts. Strike
ballots were mailed out from the
Federation of labor, for
taking an official vote as to whether
the five hundred thousand shopmen
shall walk out. to obtain their de-
mands and express their disapproval
Of President Wilson's reference OF
The railroad wage question to Con-
sress. Demands also are being made
by 100000 clerks, freight handlers
Ind station employees.
Business men of the country, as
represented in the Chamber of COM
nerce of the United States, favor
private ownership of the railroads.