Evening star., 1921-10-24
Leaders Declare That De-
mands of Employees Must
Be Satisfactorily Met.
350,00 MORE MEN VOTE
NOT TO JOIN IN WALKOUT
Members of Nine of Sixteen Stand
ard Unions to Stay at Jobs.
Labor Board Hopeful.
BY the Associated Press.

CHICAGO. October 24.-T'he
Brotherhood of RafIroad Signal
men OF America will not join the
brotherhOOds and swifchmen in
their contemplated strike, Prcsi-
dent ID. Welt announced today.
CHICAGO, October 24.-The four big
brotherhoods and the switchmens
union have reiterated their warning
to the United States Railroad Labor
Board that only Satisfactory set
tlement" can prevent the railroad
strike called for next Sunday morn
ing, it was learned today.
The presidents of the five unions,
replying to the boards citation to ap-
pear here Wednesday. sent a joint
message reasSerting the stand they
took at their conference with the
board last week, when they insisted
| they had no power to suspend or call
off strike unless a settlement in
accordance with their demands was
reached.
Might Be Without Leaders.
THE only power in our hands" the
union executives telegraphed. lis to
auElSe tOur TneND Ihdt SATISFACTORY
settlement has been reached"
II the strike is called. however.
there were Indications today that the
| stIikers may find themselves without
any directing leaders. As the board
has summoned the 1,400 general
chairmen of the five unions to come
| to Chicago with their general officers,
a prolonged hearing would leave the
locals without leaders.
The strike call provided that the
general chairmen should supervise
the strike and be responsible for its
conduct in the territories within their
jurisdiction. reporting each night by
wire the situation on their lines
Long Hearing Expected.
| The board today is hunting a hall
large enough in which to hold the
bearing. Besides the five union pres
idents and 1,400 general chairmen, the
presidents of 165 railroads in the
class A group have been ordered to
friends of both sides. an audience of
nearly 1.S00 was in prospect.
! While the board today issued
statement saying there is great rea-
son to hope that the strike will be
averted,' the strong stand of the
| union executives as set forth in their
| acceptance of the boards order to
| appear here Wednesday. indicated
| long -drawn-ou hearing.
Members of the board, according to
| all reports. are still unprepared to
offer any different basis for settle
ment than the proposition made 10
| the union officers last week and re-
| jected by the labor chiefs. 1t also is
! understood that Washington has no
| plan to present, at least at this time.
| and that the three members of the
board who conferred with the Presi-
dent a week ago were told in effect
| that they had free rein to work out
their own solution, with the admins
tration backing them.
Did Not Expect support.
| Whether the refusal of nine Of the
sixteen standard" unions to support
the strike has weakened the brother
hoods position or their determination
remained in doubt today. Union men
| pointed out that the brotherhoods
| themselves had not expected any gen
eral support and had, in fact. refused
| to sign any pledge to cooperate with
any other organizations which might
| Join them in the walkout. The four
| brotherkoods and the Switchmen.
comprising the train service orEaniza-
| tions, believed, union men said, that
they could tie UP transportation with
out any assistance from other groups.
They are said to expect the shop
crafts and other unions. in the event
of a strike. to maintain passive neu-
trality and not furnish strike break
| ers for the train service.
| The adherence of the telegraphers.
who will stand fast in their decision
| to strike. according to E. j. Manion.
president to the strike program. was
considered important inasmuch as
they expressed a determination to add
the final knot in the transportation
tie-up by leavig train orders unsent.
without telegraphic orders. it was
pointed out, operation of trains would
be difficult.
Labor Board Hopeful.
| The Railroad La bor Board announced
today that il had reason to hope
that the railroad strike set for
| October 80 would be averted.
! In formal announcement the
| board warned the public to refrain
from loose talk and provocative
language about either side of the con-
troversy."
The announcement said:
There is great reason to hope that
the strike will be averted. The Rail
road Labor Board has settled 700 dis
putes between the railroads and their
| employees in about year and half
Many of these disputes contained the
possibilities of strikes or lockouts.
| 1.-The board is anxious to get the
present dispute out of the way, in
| order that the restoration of SOUND
business conditions may proceed.
"All good Americans should re-
frain from loose talk and provocative
| language about either side OF the
| controversy Neither of the parties
should be alarmed or irritated by un-
warranted denunciation or insinua-
ton from irresponsible sources"
| 35O.OOO Vote Against Strike.
| Decision of the railroad clerks and
station employees, representing 350, 900
men, numerically one Of the largest
| of the railway mems unions, not to
| Join the big four brotherhoods and
| the switchmen in the strike placed
the brotherhoods today greatly in the
minority in their announced deter
mination to walk out.
The action of the clerks and station
employees placed nine of the sixteen
standard unions on record as opposed
| to the strike, with only the telegra-
pliers lined up with the big five. The
signalmen, with a membership OF
$4,000, were expected to complete q
| strike vote this week.
/ The four brotherhood leaders now in
Cleveland summoned T. c. Cashen.
president of the switchmen, to join
the conference in Cleveland today:
Statements from w. S. Stone, head OF
the engineers, and w. G. Lee, head OF
fhe trainmen, indicated the big FIVE
had not changed the strike plans. Mr..
Stone asserted the consequence OF
the strike would rest upon the Rail-
road Labor Board, while Lee declared
he had IAN abiding faith in the fair-
"rsa &c the Ancriccn neonlc When
.t,n,lcd on Page - Column s.<