The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-08-10
Congress Expected To Back the
Chief Executive at Meeting.
Belief That Country Is Rushing
Into Graver Crisis Told.
BIG "a" MUSTN'T Be PETTY
More Than Mere Technical Bad
Order Has To Be Found
If Life Is Endangered, How.
ever, Men May Refuse To Work

Washington, Aug. 10.-Possible
remedial legislation involving the
railroad strike was to be the subject
of a series of conferences this after
noon between Ben w. Hooper, chair
man of the railway labor board. and =
number of Republican members of tho
interstate commerce committee.
Chicago, Aug. 1O.-A threatened
strike of $500 maintenance OF way
men on the Chicago. Milwaukee & st.
Paul road hangs on a conference to be
held here this afternoon by J. c.
Smock. vice president or the union,
and B. Z. Greer, vice president of the
railroad. The unions executive board
for the system is in session at Madt-
son. Wis, today, ready to call strike
if the conferees here do not reach an
agreement.
Washington, Aug. 10.-Congress
will back up President Harding If II
becomes necessary for him to take
over the railroads to prevent the
transportation of coal, food and other
necessaries of life from breaking down
completely
This was the judgment today of
senate leaders of both parties who,
entertaining faint hope of an early
settlement of the rail strike. were al
ready anticipating that congress would
soon be called upon to authorize
President Harding to seize the rail-
loads as a peace emergency measure.
Crisis To BE More Gravc2
Some senators held the opinion that
the country was rushing fast into a
crisis far more grave than has yet de-
veloped and that when the house re-
assembled on Tuesday, government
operation of the railroads, IL not OF
the coal mines, would confront con-
gress and the administration as the
n fhn from
acute distress. Republican leaders
fresh from conferences with the prest-
dent made no effort to disguise the
pessimism with which they regarded
the outlook.
Senator Borah of Idaho, chairman
of the senate labor committee, de-
clared he would be in favor of con-
gress taking any steps which would
assist the president in dealing ef-
fectively with the situation.
Esch-Cummins Act to Stand.
The opinion expressed by Senator
Cummins, Republican, of Iowa, chair
man of the senate interstate commerce
committee, that no attempt would be
made to amend the Esch-Cummins
transportation act at this session. was
shared by other administration spokes-
men, who, like Cummins. have dis
cussed the situation with the prest-
dent frequently of late.
(By The Associated Press.)
Chicago, Aug. 1O.-Threats by rail-
road brotherhood chieftains that
there will be 100 similar cases. to
the tieup on the Elgin. Joliet g. East
ern, where engineers, firemen, conduc-
tors and trainmen refused to work be-
cause of the presence of troops in the
Joliet, ILL.,, yards, further complicated
the railway strike situation today.
May Decide For Selves.
Leaders of the big Four" who are
to take part in the Washington con-
O.. -, !. A.
when all phases of the strike are due
to come up before the chiefs of the
sixteen standard railroad unions, left
to the train service men the right to
decide for themselves whether work.
ing conditions at terminals were OBJ
jectionable.
Warren S. Stone. president of the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers,
declared at Cleveland that the walk
out of trainmen on the E., j. & E-s
did not require any approval"
"Our men are not required to work
under such conditions as now prevail
at many railroad terminals ne SAID.
'I am telling them that wherever
their lives are endangered by guards
they should go home and stay there"
Mustn't Be Too Technical.
T. c. Cashen, president of the
Switchmen's Union of North America.
sent messages to leaders of the union
concurring in the action of the engi-
neers. firemen and trainmen.
Altho railroad transportation re-
ceived this new threat to paraiyzO
traffic and brotherhood engineers
were notified by their union chiefs
that the engineers might refuse to
take out locomotives in defective con-
dition they were cautioned not to be
too technical" Troops remained on
guard at Joliet.
Disorders in connection with the
strike as important developments ap-
preached were few and widely scat
tered. At Muskogee, Okla, Frank
Barton, a new special deputy United
States marshal. was knocked uncon-
scious by a brick thrown from an
automo obile at the N. Z. &. 7. railroad