The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-08-02
HARDING PEACE
PLAN REJECTED BY
RAILWAY HEADS
Seniority Rights Prove Snag in
Way to Settlement
WILL STAND BY NEW MEN
Executives Insist Preference Be
Given Employees Who Did
Not Go On Strike

New York, August Railway
executives of the natlon yesterday
firmly but courteously rejected the
program advanced by the Harding ad
mnistration for settlement OF the
rail strike.
Willing to accept conditionally
two suggestions put forward by the
White House-that both sides
abide by wage decisions of the Rail.
road Labor board and that lawsuits
springing out OF the strike be with.
drawn-the heads of 148 roads de.
clared emphatically that it w.s i'm.
possible to reinstate strikers with
unimpaired seniority rights, the
third provision in the Presidents s
plan.
After being told by Robert S.
Loyett Of the Union Pacific that there
was no moral or practical reason fc-
budging from their position, these Gu
tiyes disbanded, caught the first
trains for their respective headquar.
ter,s and indicated that they were
going ahead and would operate their
roads with the forces they had as.
sembled since the shopmen walked
out on July l.
The decision not to yield on the
question of seniority was made
known to the White House by tele-
graph after the rail heads had listen.
ed to a Commute address by Secre-
tary Of Commerce Hoover, VINO, as di.
rect representative OF the President
told them, in effect, that the admins.
tration held the seniority question OF
minor Importance in comparison with
that OF upholding the railroad labor
board.
This action was taken in the face
OF a letter from President Harding
addressed to De Witt Cuyler, chair
man OF the American Association OF
Railway Executives. embodying "the
terms OF agreement, as | understand
them, upon which the railway mana.
gers and united shop craft workers,
are to agree preliminary to calling
VI tuc tAlSlluB SlIlke.
President Harding had closed his
letter with these two sentences
Il need hardly add that | have
reason to believe these terms will be
accepted by the workers. If there
is good reason why the managers
cannot accept, they will be obligated
to open direct negotiations or assume
full responsibility for the situation. "
In addition, Secretary Hoover had
urged upon the executives at their
morning session, when the text of
the Harding letter was read, that set
tlement Of the rail strike was impera.
tive in view of the complicating
conditions introduced by the coal
strike.
The only question which arose dur
ing the short period during which
the presidents proposal was under
active discussion was how emphat.
ically the reply rejecting his plan
should be worded,
In the balloting each road was Civ
en- one vote for each 1000 miles OF
track it operated
1he reply drafted through the noon
recess by the standing committee
was adopted by vote of 265 to g.
This, however, represented unani.
nous disapproval of the President
plan, the two dissenting votes being
cast by L. F. Loree, chairman OF the
eastern conference, representing the
Delaware & Hudson and the Kansas
City Southern, with the explanation
that he wished the seniority proposal
turned down even more decisiveiy.
Only two roads operating in the
United States were not reported rel
resented at today's conference. They
were the Atlanta, Birmingham & At
lantic and the Gulf & Ship Island
both of which were declared to have
been unaffected by the shop crafts
! cfrikc