The Donaldsonville chief., 1922-08-12
THE RAILROAD STRIKE.
Railway Executives Give Reasons
for Refusing Plan of Settlement.


| executives.
The unanimous refusal of the
railway chiefs to accept the Presi-
dents plan was contained in long
message telegraphed from New York
to the White House the night of
August l, from which is cleaned the
following salient points:
81. Resolved, that we accept the
! first recommendation of the Presi-
| dent, reading IS folloWs:
First, railway managers and
workmen are to agree to recognize
| the validity of all decisions Of the
| Railroad Labor Board and to faith
fully carry out such decisions as con-
templated by the law with the un-
derstanding that this is not intended
to preclude any party to a contro-
versy from proceeding by legal action
to question the validity Of any or
der of the board on the ground that
! jurisdiction and authority to make
the order was not conferred KY the
statutes creating the board and de-
fining its authority.
'2. That we accept the second pro-
posal of the President, reading as
follows:
'Second, the carriers will with
draw all lawsuits growing out of the
strike, and Railroad Labor Board de-
cisions which have been involved in
the strike may be taken in the exer-
else of recognized rights by either
party to the Railroad Labor Board
for rehearng,' with the understand
| ing that the strike is first called off
> and the representatives of the
| Il hn
strikers against violence in any form
against the men now at work and
the property of the carriers, since
otherwise it would be impossible to
consider the dismissal of munitions
and other legal measures necessary to
protect such persons and property
from the violence and intimidation of
the character resorted to in many
localities since the strike was called.
"3. That is is impossible to agree
to the first sentence of the third
proposal of the President, the whole
of which reads as follows:
"Third, all employees on strike to
be returned to work and to their
former position with seniority and
other rights unimpaired. The repre-
sentatives of the carriers and the
representative of the organizations
especially agree that there will be
no discrimination by either party
5 against employees who did not strike ,
l "The railroad executives and MEM
> ayers agree entirely with the Presi-
dents statement in his letter that
it is wholly unthinkable that the
Railroad Labor Board can be made
2 a useful agency of the Government
in maintaining industrial peace in
: the railway service unless employers
ii and workmen are both prompt and
unquestioning in their acceptances Of
J. it's decisions, I think it is more de-
Z sirable than | know how to express
e to have Established the unchallenged
! authority of the Railroad Labor Board
, because we must do these things
4 which are necessary to bring about
s. the recognition of suitable authority
esit to decide and end such disputes IS
"a menace the continuity of transpor:
;, tation.'
1t "By this language the President
: expressed with great force and
9 clearness the policy which we advo-
e cate. But the decisions of the
= Railroad Labor Board were fouted
= and defed by the six organizations
n comprising the Federated Shop
Crafts; the strike was called to take
effect July /, 1922, and even the
summons of the board to appear with
lie the railroad executives before the
e Labor Board after the strike was
le called and before it took effect was
Ii contemptuously ignored by the lead
IS ers of te strikers, who refused to
S, attend the hearing.
2 "Many men in the service refused
p to join the strike and in so doing
II were assured of the seniority rights
r accruing to them and of the perma-
IS nence Of their positions. On some
1T imortant lines SO per cent or more
d refused to join the strike. To these
le old loyal employees have been added
l. thousands of new men who were en-
ployed and who could be secured
only upon a definite promise thai
their services would be retained, re
ID gardless of the settlement of the
L. strike, with all the rights pertain
n ing to such employment, including
I'd that of seniority under the working
Y. rules previously approved by ths
N Railroad Labor Board.
t. 'It must be understood that an,
n. proposal that employees now on strik.
N shall be permitted to return to thu
n service without impairment of thei
seniority is merely another way O.
suggesting that these men who tool
er employment in this crisis in goo
faith relying on the promises of tn
railroads to protect them, and thu
have made possible the continues
loperation of the railroads, shall 10,
Il be sacrificed in favor of men now Of
1 strike, who not only thought abou
the crisis, but, by their own actlo
and declaration, are no longer EN-
Eployes of the railways under tn
| Jurisdiction of the United State
/ Railroad Labor Board or subject t
the application of the transportatio
act~
'In addition to the necessity G
upholding the Labor Board and mair
tanning the pledges made by the raj
hIroads to the men now at work ther
IS the practical effect upon the ST
pervisory officers Of violation {
the pledges made by the railroads
the men now at work there is til
practical effect upon the supervisor
officers of violation of the pledgt
they were authorized to make. The
discouragement and demoralizatio
is far more disastrous than this {
any other strike. Much harm h;
already been done by repeated pu
1 lication of rumors in recent da
that the loyal men and the new ms