The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-08-19

CONTINUE
!;
MEDIATION
S h 0 p m e n
Place Their Case in
Hands Of the Big
Four Brotherhoods

I1d1lQS Ol Tile Dig
Four Brotherhoods
Washington, Aug. IA (By the As
sociated Press s).-Heads of rail
road labor organizations not on
strike got their attempts to me-
date the strikes of shopmen and
other crafts in transportation SER
vice back before President Hard
ing today, and after a two and
one-half hour White House con-
ference declared they intended to
reapproach railroad executives.
L. z. Sheppard. president Of the
Order of Railway Conductors and
spokesman for the entire group.
declared on leaving the White
House the striking unions would
leave their case in the hands" Of
himself and his associates, While
as to the sporadic waikouts OF
brotherhood members in various
parts of the country, ne said, .the
President doesn't intend to make
any issue gagainst men who leave
unsafe engines"
SIr. Sheppard, like other union
officials, refrained from speciflcal-
" Indicating what basis was being
considered for further compromise
attempts. The meeting with the
president was arranged by Secre-
tary of Labor. Davis after all the
union chiefs, including those on
strike, had been in one of their
general executive sessions TO con-
sider policy.
ct has been much the same
story. We have been discussing
the whole situation from top to
bottom, and now we are going to
look for somebody to give US help
in our mediation attempts, Mr..
Sheppard declared. That means
some railroad executives not so
tenacious of, their points as those
we have seen. We shall talk over
the matter Of who might help with
all the uniop officials tomorrow
S I'VE have found the president
determined to give the workers
the same consideration as the en-
.p1oyers. We do not understand
that he is going to make further
advances to the executives.
The situation as to local walk
outs of other crafts is clear. It's
all newspaper talk that the people
have been 1marooned" in the des-
erts. Our men have taken every
train into the terminals, and the
passengers have been left at places
where railroad men live.
..All our discussion relates to the
fundamental rights Of men who
are on strike. The railroad labor
board takes, the position they are
not entitled to consideration. Lots
of lawyers hold with. us that their
rights are only suspended. We've
made a basketful Of propositions. I
can't tell you all of them"
Reverting to the policy Of his
own union, Mr.. Sheppard said that
Officers Of our order are on their
way to get men back at any points
where walkouts are not justified. .
"Our orders are that men are to
stay at work, unless ther lives are
endangered, /" he added. land to
make an honest effort to maintain
transportation service, with equip
ment that is safe
An announcement of similar
nature was made by W. G. Lee,
president Of the Brotherhood of
Railroad Trainmen, during the day
in Cleveland.
Representatives of the railroad
arrangements apparently were not
involved in the continued union
mediation efforts and Fairfax Har-
rison. president of the Southern
railroad, issued a statement from
the roads general headquarters
that his company would now at
tempt to break the strike by en-
ploying new men. Acting apart
from all other railroads, the South
err, he said, had hitherto tried
to $50 operate our property that
our men could honorably return to
work but had been unable to ef-
feet a compromise.
Eve must now turn to employ
ing Others. for the road must run,
Mr.. Harrison concluded. "If it
means war to run the Southern
Railway, then let us have it now
not later"