New-York tribune., 1921-02-03
Brotherhoods See Effort
to Break Their Organ
izations and Call ON Pres
ident to Protect Them
jewell Answers
Cuyler Statement
Employees To-day Will
Present Their Side of
Case to Labor Board
Special Dispatch to The Tribune


the Railway Labor Boards hearing of
the organized employees reply to the
roads request for the abrogating of
wartime wage agreements, the ques-
tion was again referred to President
Wilson tonight by labor leaders. In
renewed protests against the arguments
presented by spokesmen for the car
riers brotherhood leaders called upon
the President to guard their interests.
B. M. Jewell, president of the rail
way department of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, in another telegram
to the President, which was signed by
the heads of six brotherhoods, de-
nounced as false the charge made by
Thomas Dewitt Cuyler, chairman of
the Association of Railway Executives,
in message which he sent to Presi-
dent Wilson last night. Mr.. Jewell
charged that Mr.. Cuyler was striking
at the very existence Of the labor board
itself and seeking to destroy the rail
road labor organizations.
Coercion Is Charged
E. F. Cradle, president of the United
Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way
Employees and Railway Shop Laborers,
a telegram to the President protested
against the efforts of the carriers to
'coerce' the board.
I'VE appeal to you as President of
the whole people," said Mr.. CRADLES
message, ito use your good Offices to
the end that the rights of the railroad
employees of this country shall not be
arbitrarily and unjustly dealt with"
Mr.. Jewell's message to the Presi-
dent said in part:
Eve have read in the press copy
of telegram which the railway ex-
ecutives are reported to have addressed
to you in reply to our recent message
The charge is made in this telegram
that our original object in calling to
your attention the astounding action
of Mr. Atterbury last Monday, before
the Railroad Labor Board was con-
ceiyed as "Plumb plan league propa-
ganda.' The statement is false and is
put forward to deceive the public.
What Workers viii Show
"The claim is made that the railway
worker, who is already the chief suf-
ferer from the depression in the trans
portation industry and whom Mr.. At
terbury considers least able to defend
himself, is to have his distresses
further exploited in order that railroad
reserves may be conserved and railway
finances maintained unimpaired. Such
an attitude is not only repugnant to
the most elementary considerations of
human welfare, but is directly at vari-
ance with the actual decisions of all
4 = %,.1> IL L.
out an exception they have all held, as
you know that he financial condition
of corporation should not have any
bearing upon the determination of
reasonable wages or working condi-
tions.
"In addition to thus violating all
precedents and striking at the very eX-
istence of the Labor Board itself Mr..
Atterbury's action, we believe, has
deeper significance. We are convinced
that he wished to take advantage of the
temporary unemployment and the un-
fortunate economic condition of the
railroad workers, which the railroads
have intensified, to crush our labor or
ganizations and to deprive us of our
fundamental right and guarantees, all
of which are reasonable
The telegram went on to say that the
workers would show:
''That there is no economic justifica-
tion for wage reduction or the abroga-
ton of fundamental rights embodied in
working rules.
"That statements that the interest of
farmers and shippers are dependent
upon reduction in wages are unsound
and that reduction in the general cost
of living is not dependent upon re-
duction in railway wages.
"That the ra ailro9dS are cnptrolled b,,
an inner group of New York banking
houses and that the so-called open shop
| movement, or the attempt to destroy
cur union, seems to be directly con
nected with the railroads of which the
banking house of Morgan & Co. are the
fiscal agents"
In closing, the message stated that:
"If the public expects US TO maintain
the spirit and the letter of the law and
| To rely upon the judicial settlement
of differences in an orderly way, we
rust be protected from the ill-advised
and misguided efforts of Mr. Atterbury
and his associates, who are violating the
/ procedure established by law, aid te-
cause of an absurd and impossible
ohsession for destroying railway labor
organizations are resorting to methods
which are indefensible and opposed to
| The public welfare"
| "The total number of EMPLOYEES of
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