The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-08-08
ORDER STRIKERS
BACK TO WORK
Railway Shopmen Told by
Leader to Resume Jobs, 4
Pending Settle A
ment.
WILSON SENDS MESSA 8 Z
No Consideration to be Oliver
Appeal Unless Men Obey
Of Their Own
WILSON SENDS MESSA 9
[By Ralph F. Couch, United Press
Staff orrespondent,1

IBy Ralph +. Couch, United PreSs
Staff orrespondent.]
WASHINGTON, Aug. s-Whether
wage demands Of railroad employees
will be arbitrated or whether the
workers will defy the government and
attempt to cripple the roads by strikes.
apparently depended today on the res
ponse OF striking shopmen to Presi-
dent Wilson'S order that they return
to work before their requests for moro
pay be considered.
The president in letter to Rail
Director Hines told him to take up
the wage question without further au.
thority from congress, but also told
him there would be no dealings with
the employees until the railroad shop.
men, who walked out without the
sanction Of their leaders, went back to
their Jobs.
B. M Jewell, acting president of
the railway department of the Ameri-
can Federation Of Labor has tele-
graphed the shopmen, asking them to
resume work so that settlement of all
railway employees wage demands will
not be delayed.
Answers to JEWELS appeal were
looked for today in the action of the
unauthorized stT1Kers. II they go back
to work, negotiations between the
railroad administration and the EN-.
ployes will proceed. Otherwise, ac-
cording to Wilson'S letter, the govern.
ment will ignore the wage demands.
Until employees return to work and
again recognize the authority Of their
organizations, the whole matter must
be at standstill," wrote the pres1-
dent The letter emphasized that the
rail administration will deal only with
duly accredited heads of unions.
"You are hereby authorized the
president ordered Hines, ''to say to
the railroad shop employees that the
question Of wages they have raised
will be taken up and considered on its
merits by the director general in con-
ference with their duly accredited
representatives"
The letter made no mention OF
rates.
President Wilson instructed Hines
to decide the wage, question, following
receipt of q letter from Senator Cum.
mins, who said the senate interstate
commerce committee had decided the
president had full power to act.
The appeal Of organized labor for
government ownership of railroads,
backed by yelled threats of serious
unrest until the plan Is adopted, has
so far found no open champion
among the house and senate inter
state commerce committees.
Even Representative Sims, who In.
treduced their plan as house bill
by request, today definitely stated he
could not agree to 1t in many details.
He favors government ownership OF
the fixed equipment of the lines with
leases to private corporations for
operation. the owners being allowed
to keep the rolling stock. 1t Is gen
orally believed the bill even in modi-
fed form will not be reported out by
either house or senate committee
Interest now centers in the broth
erhoods' next move, the threatened
expose of the alleged looting Of many
railroads by Wall street interests
with a demand for congressional In
vestigation. Nothing definite has
been revealed with regard to confer
ence on the railroad control which
Glen Plumb, attorney for the railroad
employees, said had been called to
meet in Washington, and to which
many prominent persons, including
Governor Allen Of Kansas, and Frank
P. Walsh had been invited. The
date remains to be fixed.
Are Returning to Work.
[By Ralph F. Couch, United Press
Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON Aug. s-Telegrams
received by the American Federation
of Labor today indicated that railway
shopmen who struck without authority
have already started going back to
work in response to President Will
sons letter in which he asserted the
government would not consider higher
wages for them until all men were
spack on their Jobs.
/ Strikers were reported to have re-
turned to all shops of the Lackawanna
Ind Norfolk and Western railroad.
Officials Of the railway depart
ment Of the American Federation OF
Labor met today to frame arguments
to the authorities Of the strikers to