Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1919-12-30
ISSUES X 2LaTE12M uP0. ?. 2. Mr32u2H Declaration of Principles j. fccts Anti-sStrike Clause
 of Bills WANT GOVERNMENT T( RETAIN RAIER0A. Leaders Receive Assurances La Section or Cummins Biii
 Slated for De-
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VI 7'i4Ht 2 kPiAf 1t'Ns s-Hff ty'- M 44tfves of the four railway bro N ,fh0ods anal heads of affiiiatA Ass trades adopted tonight q declal ~ tion of principles, opposing leg M Iatfan which would make strik.M Of railway workers unlawful. k
 Thc declaration, framed at conference with President GGmped of the American Federation Labor, declared It the sense organized railway employees thE penalty clauses in pending M road legislation against worked ceasing their employment shou be eliminated.
 At the conclusion of a flve-hol session President Gompers dlcta ed this statements:
 "On Friday last, a number the representatives of the railroa organizations, both shopmen an the train service, met at my offle and we discussed the situation r garding the railroad legislatiof and l issued an lnvitation to th executives of the ten shopmen' crafts affiliated with the Amerl can Federation of Labor and to tn four railroad brotherhoods askin them to meet in conference wltfI me here today. We began ouI meeting at o'clock and adjourned after & The entire time was takj cn up with discussion of thd parliamentary situation of thd railroad bills. We reached thosd conelusions;
 Labor's Railroad Policy.
 'sThat it is the sense of the con- ference that the control of the railroads should be exercised by the government of the United States for a period of not less than two years in order that q proper test may be made as te government control.
 "That such test has not beer given fair opportunity during war times or since.
 "This conference is opposed tc legislation making strikes of work CTS unlawful. It is the sense o1 this conference that penalty claus. es in pending legislation of rail roads against workers ceasinG their employment should be elin,in ated.
 "That the conference favors the enactment of beneficial feature: Of the bills which tend to establlst better relations between the em ployes and the carriers.
 "That the beneficial clauses should be extended to the sleeping car and the Pullman company em ployes."
 While the conference reiterated the demand of organized labo that the government should hol' the railroads for peace tim test of two years, the union off cials explained that they had II reason to doubt the carriers woul' be handed back on March 1 tn date specified by the president regardless of the enactment mean while of legislation for the pro tection of the properties. , Willard Calls On Gompers L. E. Shepard, president of tn Order Railway Conductors, wa the only big four brotherhood hea' at the conference, the other being represented by deputies. While there wre many anlmate' speeches and general discussion 0 : the Cummins railroad bill with it drastic anti-strike provision, l was said that the railway me- were of one mind in opposing tn section making strikes illegal. Be : fore and after the conference however, the union representative discussing informally the railroa' situation, said they had assurance that the house would not accep the labor sectio nof the Cummin bill
 Soon after the conference go well under way President Comp CTS, who presided, returned to hi r office and conferred for an hou with Daniel Willard, president o the Baltimore and Ohio railroad ! The visit of MT. Willard to fedora : tion headquarters had not beel : announced and 1t provoked som' } comment as to it's possible mean 5 ing, but on leaving, the railroa:
 president declined to say what h' ) had discussed with Gompers. Tht 5 latter also declined to talk abouI l it.