The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-07-06
Men Who Have Been Out All
Week Return to Shops.
Streets Are Practically Cleared
of Union Observers Today.
new SNAP IN WORKERS STEP
Both Skilled and Unskilled Me-
chanics Ready for Work.
Men Charged With Picketing
May Be Arrested Soon.

The Santa Fe railroads service to
the public is normal on the sixth day
of the shopmen's strike; every shop
on the system is in operation with ev-
cry department functioning, and pros
pects are bright for an early return to
normaIcy. according to statements
made by officers of that company this
morning.
1,4O1 Men at Work Today. :
''In our Topeka shops 1,401 men
are at work today as against 1,S49
Wednesday and l,167 Monday, said
John Purcell, in charge of the Santa
Fe's mechanical department. Nv
erything is running smoothly, and we
are rapidly catching up with the work
that accumulated the first few days of
General Manager w. K. Etter said
that the movement of both passenger
and freight trains during the first five
as was the movement during the pre-
ceding five days.
Normal traffic conditions prevail"
according to J. r. KoonJz and ]. NJ.
Connell. ranking officers in Topeka of
the freight and passenger depart
rnents. respectively.
Claims of the men who have left
the company that the strike is nearly
100 per cent effective draw little re-
sponse from santa Fe officers. One
OF them told this story:
A man in Jail sent for a lawyer who,
safter hearing the prisoners story,
declared: why. they can't put you
in Jail for that But I'm in JAIL"
the prisoner insisted. NO matter"
said the lawyer. they can't do it,
In other words" the official point
ed out, the strikers say the strike is
nearly 100 per cent effective, yet citi-
zens who took the trouble to watch
the line of men going to work at the
Topeka shops this morning saw more
than 1,4O0 enter the gates"
No Time Limit Set.
The Santa Fe has not yet fixed a
time limit for the return of workers
who walked out last Saturday. as
many OF the roads have done. In his
notice to the shop employees two days
before the strike, Mr.. Purcell said:
IF you leave your work you
will sever relations with the company
-. and will forfeit all rights under
the pension and death benefits
1t is known that a good many of
the men who reported for work We'd
nesday and today left the shops last
Saturday and did not show up Mon
day. Various reasons for being off
were given, and all were accepted.
Those who came back declared that
they had not been strikers.
Strikers Are New Men Now.
According to the wording of the
Purcell notice. posted before the
strike. the men who struck last Sat
urday are now out of the service, and
those who return to work will be con-
sidered as new men.
Mr.. Purcell authorizes the State
Journal to say that there is nothing
in the report that the Santa Fe is
planning to do work for other rail-
roads in its Topeka shops
II the life and local color of the dis
trict tells true story today. the
Santa Fe shop strike has flattened.
Men who hadn't been in the shops
since the strike order became effective
went back this morning. Streets in
the shop district were practically
cleared of observers. At every gate
number OF men who reported for
work.
That doesn't mean that all of the
strikers are back at their jobs. They
are not. Some of them have probably
said goodbye for keeps-both on
their own account and in keeping with
the federal boards sweeping order
Many Return to Work.
The o'clock downtown cars be-
gan unloading men carrying dinner
pals and headed for the shops At
1850 there were lines of workers in
Seward avenue. Branner, Lake, Gree
ley and Crane streets as well as other
arteries to the shops. At every gate
visited this morning keepers reported
the return of men who had not been
on the job since the strike began.
Something in the atmosphere of the
shop section this morning seemed to
tell the story that so far as the To-
peka shops arc concerned the strike
10 breaking up. There was a new
snap in the step OF the mea who we're
going back. Somehow the district
itself seemed to have suddenly lost its
interest in the big affair. Since sat
urday morning the shop folks had
gathered on strcer corners. in back
fcontinned on Page Six.l