The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-08-09

WILSON HEARS
LABOR DEMANDS
Railway Workers Insist on
Higher Pay to Take Effect
at Once
DECIDE NOT TO
WAIT ON CONGRESS
Shopmen Seem Determined to
/ Force Immediate Compliance
|, With Their Demands


Wilson was told today by B. NJ. Jew
ell, acting president of the railroad
division of the American Federation
of Labor, that all railroad employees
were opposed to the proposal made TO
the president by Director Generai
Hines that congress constitute COM
mittee to pass on questions of wage
increases for the men. He said this
process would be too slow and because
of the rising cost Of living speedy re
lief was necessary.
| Mr.. Jewell was accompanied to the
White House by the heads of the SIX
big railway shop crafts, who pointed
out to the president that thousands
of shopmen were now on an unan-
thorized strike, and that unless the
demands of these men for wage in
crease approginating 25 per cent, pre-
sented last January, We're granted
promptly the SITUATION would get .:o"-
yond the control of the union officials.
Efforts are being made by the union
leaders to get the strikers to return
to work. the president was told. II
a strike should become necessary IN
order to enforce the demands of the
snopnen, the president was informed,
union officials felt it should be con-
Quoted only after vote by the un-
ions members.
Strike ballots will be mailed to 500,-
900 shop employees tomorrow, Mr.
Jewell announced after meeting Of
the six shop craft officials which fol-
lowed the cali on the president. The
vote will be tabulated August "a.
After the conference with the pres
idert, Mr.. Jewell did not mince words
and declared emphatically that if con-
gress passed the legislation proposed
by Director General Hines We'll tie
up the railroads SO tight they will
never run" No union men could ever
be gotten to sit on such an investisa-
ting body as contemplated by the di-
rector general and the president, M.
Jewell added.
President Wilson, the union official
said, listened sympathetically to what
| the union officials had to say regard
! ing the situation and appeared to rec
ognize it's seriousness, but did not in
dicate an intention to recede from his
attitude that he had not the power to
grant the increases.
President Wilson told us frankly,
Mr.. Jewell said, that while every
agency Of the government was work
| ing on plans to bring relief from the
high cost Of living, the country could
not expect reduction to prewar
standards for a good many years to
come. He made clear that what the
government now was doing would
take time and immediate relief should
not be looked for and that it would
be a long time before there was a
marked reduction"
| Earlier in the day the union Of
icials conferred with M. Hines at his
request and informed him also that
railroad employees were unit in op-
posing his plan for the congress au-
thcrized committee. The director gen
eral said he had no other solution,
according to Mr. Jewell, and insisted
he also had not the authority to
grant the increases demanded.
Cali we can do Mr. Jewell said
tonight. in summarizing the events
of the day.. is to prepare for the bat
tie. The battle is coming and we will
be ready. We expect the railroads
will be tied up tight in SO days unless
our demands are settled"
The railroad employees, he sail,
would back ito man" the plan for
government ownership and tri-partite
control of the railroads by which they
would be paid for with a 4 per cent
bond issue and added that eventually
the Plumb plan should be extended to
the coal,> steel, packing and all basic
industries.