The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-10-29
y -
STRIKE NO
NEARER
SETTLEMENT
Conference Between
Labor Board, Rail-
way Executives and
Union L e a d e T S
Without Definite
Results

Chicago, Oct. .26.-The govern
ment will make its final attempt to
prevent the threatened general rail
road strike tomorrow morning at
O'clock. when presidents, general
chairmen and executive committees
of the five train service unions meet
here at q conference reported to
have been arranged at the instiga-
ton of the United States Railroad
Labor Board.
The boards investigation of the
causes Of the strike threat ended
abruptly at $3.50 tonight. when the
five union leaders asked permission
to make announcement to their
men.
Executives of the Big Four
brotherhoods and the Switchmen's
union of North America. after a
day of verbal jockeying with the
United States Railroad Labor
Board, declared late today that no
power on earth save a "satisfac-
tory settlement" can prevent their
men walking out. beginning next
Sunday morning at G o'clock.
Their declaration came at the
close Of a day of fruitless ques-
tioning, when Judge r. NJ. Bar
ton, chairman Of the labor board.
called each union president in turn
and asked him for four prepared
questions, the third Of which was:
"If the board shall declare
strike is not justified and should
not occur and direct that the en-
ployes not strike, will that order be
obeyed?"
The union chiefs, Warren S.
Stone, of the engineers; W. G. Lee,
of the trainmen; L. E. Sheppard,
Of the conductors; w. S. Carter, of
tae fremen, and T. c. Cashen, of
The switchmen, declared in turn
they had no power to cancel the
strike order, expressed the indlvld-
ual opinion that their men would
not obey an order from them or the
board to remain at work, and re-
iterated their previous declarations
that only satisfactory settlement
could avert the walkout.
Such a settlement they said,
would be reconsideration by the Ia
board board of its II per cent wage
reduction order Of last July or a
movement by the individual rail
roads to confer with the unions and
set aside the boards order.
w. S. Carter declared a settle
ment should also reimburse the
men for the pay lost since July 1
as a result of the wage cut.
The other three questions asked
the union leaders We're:
''Who or what authority in your
labor organization can withdraw
the order to strike or stop a strike :?
Suppose you, the chief executive
of your orga niZation, or your eXecu-
tive committee, issued an order or
a statement that a strike should
not occur, do you not believe the
strike would be prevented?
will you, as chief executive, use
your power and influence to see
that the orders of the board on
the matter be obeyed?"
That the government contem-
plates injunction proce e d ng S
against the unions for violation Of
the transportation act was indi-
Gated by the trend of questioning,
conducted by Ben. w. Hooper, rep
resentative Of the public on the
beard
Hooper sought throughout his
examination Of the five union lead
ers to bring out that their strike
order was not only in defiance Of
the July wage cut decision, but by
including other and unsettled ques-
tons, violated that part Of the
transportation act which says all
disputes shall be referred to the
board first for settlement.
Lee, Of the trainmen, said his
organization's ballot was based
solely on the July l wage cut, and
declared he had withdrawn from
the brotherhood's joint meeting
and refused to subscribe to their
ballot. The language Of the joint
ballot, he said, implied other Ques-
tons were involved.
The other leaders defended the
joint ballot and asserted that all
the other questions referred to all
had bearing on the frame Of
mind which led the employees to
vote for strike.
The question of time and one
half for overtime and of general
revision of schedules were included
in the discussion p1 ceding the
strike question proper on both the
Joint ballot and that of the train
men, they said. While all the union
chiefs maintained that the strike
question was technically taken on
the July wage cut, all admitted that
the other questions would probably
figure in any settlement leading
to calling Off the strike.
Questioning Of the union lead
ers brought out that a vote against
the strike had been returned on
twenty-three roads by the conduc-
tors, on fourteen roads by the
trainmen and on three roads by the
tiremen. Cashen said the switch
men on every system voted in favor
Of striking. Stone, after heated
protest against furnishing the in
formation Ito his enemies agreed
10 obtain it from his office in
Cleveland.
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