Republican farmer., 1920-04-09
STRIKE
 GROWS, EXPECTED TO SPREAD WIDELY
fcontinued From Page One. :,

(COnt1nue0 From Page OnS.J brotherhoods which began week ago in Chicago. today had spread to other parts of the United States and there were indications that the series of rebeIlions against organization direction had not reached its crest.
 East and west bound freight move ment across the continent already re- stricted by the Chicago strikes, was hanrpered further by Switchmen striking at such strategic gateways as Buffalo and Kansas City, and at such industrial centers as Johet and Decatur, Illinois, and Gary, Ind.
 Strikes were threatened today at Milwaukee, St. Louis and East St. Louis, gateways to the northwest and the southeast. Strikers predicted also that 25,000 men in northern New York would join them, cutting off freight traffic from Buffalo to New York and Boston.
 The Yarimen's Association, inSur- gent organization which called the strikes was forming branches in nu. merous terminal centers, reports in l dcated.
 H. E. Reading. general organizer of the yardmen's association, an- nounced that the, railway clerks and : freight handlers brotherhood would take strike votes Saturday. At Gin cinnati 1900 freight handlers de- mand an answer by Saturday mid night to their demands for an in- crease in pay from 62 to 47 cents an 1 hour.
 Railroad brotherhood officers who came to Chicago to assist railroad i manag gers to break the strike declar- 1 ed reports for today would reveal 1 fro f6o in to he of Sf i 50 per cent. normal.
 l The strikers. however, claimed that i by tonight no switch engine would be | operating in the Chicago district. Of | ficers of the yardmen's association l claimed approximately 7,500 new members had been enrolled and ten | new locals formed in the Chicago district They held to their estimate | of 16, 500 switchmen out in the Chi cago district in addition to engineers, fremen and engine hostIers.
 The insurgent enginemen's associa- l tion had enrolled 10000 engineers, fire men and hostlers at Chicago, accord ing to its officers.
 l MT. Reading, who also organized the United Enginemens Association, de- nied, however, that enginemen were on strike.
 1 They were not working because 1 with the switchnen idle there is no work for enginemen,'' he said. ''OuI men refused to join the switchnlen. We simply joined this organization because we were tired of the old ono dominated by it's officers"
 7! The striking swibchnen claimed that
 engineers and fremen had abandoned engines on the Chicago, Burlington
 and Quincy; Chicago, Milwaukee and St Paul. the Chicago and Northwest ern, and the Anchison, Topeka. a1d
 Santa Fe railroads at Chicago.
 A bulletin that the strike was il
 legal, sent out by W. G. Lee, presiden of the Brotherhood of Railway Train
 men, was on bulletin boards of ths New York Central lines today.
 William S. Garter. head of the fire
 men, and Warren s. Stone, Crane
 Chief of the Engineers. joined Lee 1T
 announcing that the railroad broth
 erhood members carry out their con l tracts.
 Industries t1rougaout the Chicago
 district had begun to feel the effects
 of the strike seriously today. Packing l house heads said that the total mum
 Der of stockyards employees idl'
 would be between 60,o00 and 65,00t : if the strike continued until Satur
 day. Only 80 cars of live stock wer, received at Chicago yards yesterday