The Washington times., 1922-08-05
Allied Unions Asked to
Donate "War Chest" to
Aid Striking Shopmen
,. By WEBSTER X. NOLAN
BY WEBSTER X. NOLAN. =
international News Service.

OTBdUlZeu ldDOI, hiobih1AhS All
what easily may be its greatest
struggle, today began the massing
of a huge war chest" to support the
railroad shopcrafts in their nation
wide strike.
While union leaders throughout
the country were preparing to issue
the formal call for raising a gigantic
strike fund, officials of the Order of
Railroad Conductors today fatty pre-
dicted that tens of thousands OF train
service employees in all classes will
be forced to qiut their posts II the
railroads continue to operate crippled
equipment.
Spokesmen for the conductors
echoed the warning of engineer and
firemen brotherhood officials that
accidents will result shortly from use
of defective rolling stock. They
charged that the possibility of rail
accidents taking toll Of life and
limb" is a constant menace to fur.
ther operation of trains under pres
ent conditions.
Asks Days Pay.
Labor's war chest" 1t was learn
G0, was ldunCncu Win Gil dppSoi "
SO,000 members Of the Order of Rail-
way Telegraphers to donate one full
days pay in support of the striking
shopcrafts. This union alone will
raise $500, 900 for the strike fund, 1t
was said.
Samuel Gompers, president Of the
American Federation OF Labor, 1t
was authoritatively learned. will
shortly appeal to the rank and file
Of organized labor to mobilize their
financial resources to back the
strikers in a Showdown fight" A
collar a day" from each organized
workman, II was said, would create
q fund totaling $4,000,000.
While Gompers' appeal was pend
ing, the Big Four" Brotherhoods
showed q solid front in their moral
support of the striking shopmen
and indicated this would soon be
supplemented by direct financial
aid.
use Of defective equipment on
the railroads Is a constant menace
to life and limb and conductors alb
sofutely will not continue to work
under these conditions" was the
flat declaration today Of William
Clark, vice president Of the Order
of Railroad Conductors, in an
ncuncing his union supported the
stand taken by engineers and fire
men.
Men Charge Coercion.
Coercion is being used in some
cases to get brotherhood men to do
the work Of strikebreakers," Clark
continued. Conditions are deplora-
bic. and II the rail executives brand
these charges as ridiculous, my only
answer is that they themselves will
look ridiculous within a few days.
ct know that the rolling stock OF
the railroads is deterlorating much
faster than the roads are able to
keen up in repairs. II this con-
tition continues, 1t leads to certain
disaster.
"The situation is tense and action
is imminent"
Clark declared one OF the most
dangerous factors OF the rapid de-
terioration OF equipment is the en-
ployment of unskilled strikebreak-
ers to do the difficult work for.
merly done by highly trained men.
Predicts Many Accidents.
Conditions existing on the CHIEF
Southern roads, which l have just
inspected, are such that ! feel safe
in predicting disastrous events to
trains on those roads IL they are
permitted to continue operation"
Clark added. THE executives are
rs we'll aware of these conditions
as am.
"Our Cedar Rapid, Ia, general
headquarters is being flooded with
complaints from conductors on a
parity with complaints being re-
ceived at Cleveland from engineers
and firemen."
II. e. Wills. vice president OF
the Brotherhood Of Locomotive
a Engineers, declared today:
Each day finds us closer to q
showdown. The men operating tn,
trains cannot hold out much longer
The railroad arrangements are
treading on very dangerous ground
The locomotive power of the natior
Is being swept away at a ratio tha
will shortly result in one of tive
things-first, the absolute stoppag,
Of transportation, and second, tn,
occurrence Of railroad wrecks. Th'