The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-18
SUPREME EFFORT MADE BY LABOR 10
 BALK RAIL HEADS
Drive Against National Agree ments Intended to Obscure Fundamental Issues at
 Stake, Says Jewell
Rx Associatnd Press

Chicago, February 17--Iabor today ap- peared before the railroad labor board 1 in a supreme effort to check the raii-
 way executives drive against national agreements.
 1 This drive B. M. Jewell, chairman Of the employees committee, declared. was intended to obscure the fundamental is- sues at stake, which the employees have declared, were the open shop movement and an attempt to crush organized labor. Mir. Jewell requested the board to all low the employees until March 14 to com plete their rebuttal to the objections to national agreements made by the ral- roads. He also proposed that the whole i, case be thrown out of court and the points taken up in conference between the carriers and employees.
 Protest immediately was entered by F.. T. Winter of the carriers committee against delay and to any proposals oA further conferences He declared that the question the board now faced was merely whether these agreements should be con- tinued.
 SEES ENDLESS TURMOIL Frank F. Walsh, counsel for the broth erhoods, in an address. likeped the prln- ciuJes being laid down by the i(por board l to those of the supreme court in It's eariy history He said that, the utterances and acts of railway executives indicated that l if not restrained, the executives Wouiu render the transportation act emascu- lated and abortive, this board will be de- stroyed in so far as it's efficient function ing is concerned, and we shall have enc less turmoil and instability fn me th"- road industry"
 Mr. Walsh declared that if the cAf. riers did not comply with the law, the employees would inform the public as to the real situation in an at tempt to prevent Congress from en- acting law for financial relief of the railroads. At this moment the car riers are attempting to dip their hands into the United States and extract the enormous sum of $750, 000,000, which is only their initial effort" Mr. Walsh asserted.
 RIGHT TO ORGANIZE The speaker reiterated the right of
 the employees to organize and act as
 a unit and declared such action was
 contemplated in the transportation
 act.
 The railroads could not accept the benefits of the law withcu. also agree
 ing to labor rights. he argued. He
 said he saw in the railroads efforts
 to thwart the employees an attempt
 to render unSettleu, cHdotic ccHuiuOnS
 would finally lead to the destruction
 of their own house" and repeated his
 request that railroad managers and di-
 rectors be subpoenaed for cross-ex
 am ination.
 Correspondence with the railway
 executives was read by Mir. Jewell in
 an effort to show that conferences
 had been proposed prior to the filing
 of the dispute over the rules before
 the board. Mir. Winter, however. re-
 piled that when the railroads were re-
 turned to private control March i, 1920, he considered the national agree ments terminated. He also maintained
 that the intent of the transportation act was to allow each carrier to
 negotiate with its own employees.
 The hearing adjourned until Mon
 day Meanwhile executives of the
 railroads will gather here tomorrow.