New-York tribune., 1922-07-12
Chicago Conference Will
Define eTrainmen's Status
After Protest Against U.s.
ing of Bad Equipment
Harding g May Call
Leaders to T Parley
Violence Continues and
: More Appeals for State
Militia Forces Are Filed
By Gilman Parker

CHICAGO, July 11.-While troops
remained on guard to-day over the
railroad shops IN nearly all the mid
Western states, with increasing re-
ports of violence, involving in one
case an exchange Of shots between
strikers and soldiers, the Big Four"
train service brotherhoods announced
tha0 their grand chiefs would meet
here tomorrow with representatives
Of the Association of Railway Execu-
tives to discuss matters of policy
as to the status Of the train service
men.
Coincidentally, there came an an
nouncement from Bloomington, ILL.,,
where there was shooting throughout
last night, that the train service men
employed by the Chicago & Alton-the
engineers, fremen, conductors and
brakemen-had voted in afternoon
meetings to refuse to enter the roads
Bloomington shops or yards so long as
troops continue to be stationed there.
They will continue to operate mail
trains, the announcement said, ".but
the other trains, both passenger and
freight, Will be halted unless the road
can manage to deliver its equipment
to the train servics men outside the
troop zone"
Cabinet Considers Crisis
Observers Of this move recalled that
| the Big Four" were deferred from
striking last October chiefly because
their heads had planned united action
| in calling strike and therefore ap.
peared subject to Federal court pro-
ceedings involving possible imprison-
ment. Now, however, the shopmen's
strike has so affected the condition OF
rolling stock that, it has been pointed
out, the argument might be advanced
that operation Of the trains, on some OF
the roads at least, endangers the lives
of the train service men. tt
Four" have filed protests with the In.
terstate Commerce Comm ission against
the use of "bad order" equipment or
certain roads. Therefore the meeting
here tomorrow and to-day's action al
Bloomington are significant
! Another development to-day was the
meeting at Washington of the Presi.
dent and his Cabinet, where for more
than two hours the Chief Executive anf
his aids discussed both the railroad
and coal strikes. 1t was said that with
the coal strike on the way toward set
tlement the President regarded the
railroad strike as constituting the
chief menace to the national welfare
and it became known that consideration
was given a plan to summon leaders
of the striking shopmen and repre-.
sentatives Of the railroads to Wash
ington in an effort to settle the con-
troversy.
Roads Seek Settlement, Report
1t was reported from st. Paul that
preliminary steps for settlement be
tween the shopmen and certain Of the
Northwestern roads had been begur
there. This was regarded by some Of
the strike leaders as the first break
in the ranks of the railroads.
Following the receipt here of this
dispatch it was reported that R. A
Heming, head Of the shop craft unions
in the northwest territory, had arrived
the matter with B. N. Jewell. president
of the railway employees department
of the American Federation of Labor
and the chief director of the strike.
While no reports as to the progress
of the conference were given out Of
fclally, it was rumored that the shop.
mems leaders were inclined to believe
that regional settlements at this time
would be impracticable. There also
were rumors that more than one road
entering Chicago had been concerned
in settlement overtures, but, so far al
could be learned, the tentative nego-
tiations in St. Paul mentioned only the
Northern Pacific.
signalmen "Work Under Protest"
Another sign Of possible peace in tn.
ofing was an announcement by DAME
W. Helt, chief of the signalmen, that
strike order to the 10000 member.
Of his organization had been ordered
withheld indefinitely, the result Of con
ferences held by him with the United
States Railroad Labor Board. TIL.
agreement reached was that Mr.. Hell
CONTINUED next page,