Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1920-04-14
NEW RAIL UNION
Gains STRENGTH
Civil War Now on in the Railway
BrotherhoodS.
SWITcHMEN'S STRIKE GROWS
Loyal Representatives Of the Old
Unions Are Pouring into Chicago
In Effort TO Break Tieup In
the Sig Yards.

Chicago, April with the inSurg-
ent unions steadily gaining strength
and the paralysis OF the local freight
traffic complete, the civil war Of the
railroad brotherhOOds menaces the ma
tion's transportation systems and
threatens the food supply in the dis
tricts that depend upon Chicago for
shipments.
Fearing that the local runaway"
strike Of switchmen. switch engine
men and firemen may become Hation-
al, representatives OF the stlrOad
brotherhoods began pouring ilto Chi
cago In hope Of stemming the tide.
Men familiar with railroad condi-
tions throughout the United States de
clare that the situation is fast becom-
ing such that only Intervention by the
president and his cabinet could restore
normal activity in the strike-bound
districts.
Work at the stock yards will come
10 a practical standstill unless the
strike Is settled az once. Already three
fourths OF the employees of the big
hacking plants are out because there
are no shipments Of cattle for slauSh-
ter. From 10000 To 5000 workers
are idle
Influx Of union workers To smash
the strike failed tO alter the situation
when the United Enginemen. the new
union. made up of engineers. fremen
and hostlers. dissatisfied with the
management of the Brotherhood 81
Firemen and Enginemen, from which
they are seeding. gained new recruits
II. F.. Redding. secretary. stated that
10000 of the II 900 enginemen In the
Chicago district had joined his organ
izatiOn.
Affects Small Towns
That the tieup OF freight and ex-
press traffic would affect the small
towns I'm Illinois. Indiana, Iowa. Wis
consin and Michigan by next week was
indicated I'm anxious inquiries from
those states. IL vas pointed out that
Chicago. center of the disturbance. is
less likely 10 suffer Immediately. de-
spite its immense population. then the
smaller communities hat have no
storage facilities.
Officials of the brOtherhOods. many
Of them I'm the city since the first talk
of the strike began and conversant
with developments since wheels stop
ped turning in local yards. confess d
that they could do nothing 10 remedy
the situation. They cited the trans
portation act as evidence that the
walkout was doomed before il started,
hut were unable. to suggest any means
by which normal conditions may be
restored
Reports from Buffalo. Milwaukee.
~. Louis. East St. Louis and other
points indicated that the irregulars
were gaining strength among engine
men and yard employees dissatisfied
with the management of the railroad
brotherhoOds. from which they are Sc
ceding.
Roads Are Optimistic
Railroad officials secuted the reports
and issued optimistic commensurate
ments, declaring that more than fifty
locomotives are at work in the Chica-
20. Milwaukee 4 st. Paul yards alone,
and that there has been no sign Of a
concerted walkout OF engiRemen.
Reports from Joliet, Gary and South
Chicago yards stated that all switch
men had returned TO work.
In the Chicago district yard man
ayers stated that more cars were being
moved than at any time since the
strike WAS called