Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1922-08-31
Chicago, August rs, 1922.

Since the leaders of the railway shopcrafts
ordered the members of their organizations
to strike July against decisions of the Uni
ted States Railroad Labor Board, constant
efforts have been made to find basis for a
just settlement. / believe you are familiar
with those negotiations and the unsuccessful
efforts to bring about settlement which
have been made by the Labor Board and in
dividual members of the board, by members
of the Presidents cabinet, by representatives
of various organizations, and by the President
himself
The final conference in New York August
% further demonstrated that the differences
which exist are of such fundamental nature
that they cannot be composed. We of the
Illinois Central System believe there is moth
ing to be gained by further negotiations on a
question which admits of no compromise.
Moreover we believe the situation has been
unfavorably affected by reports frequently
sent out by leaders of the shopcrafts that
nationwide settlement was about to be eff
fected, and that it can serve no good purpose
to continue to hold out these false hopes.
While we are deeply interested in the general
a great deal more for that part of the public
served by US, for our employees and for our
selves if we concentrate our future efforts
largely upon the conditions on our own rail-
way system.
No one regrets more than we the unfor-
tunate situation of our former employees who
gave up their positions upon orders from the
leaders of their crafts. On June IA, when
the strike vote was being taken, we addressed
a letter to all Illinois Central System shop
men in which we appealed to their better
judgment and counseled them not to vote in
favor of placing in the hands of their leaders
the power to call strike. We were of the
opinion then that if they placed such a power
in the hands of their leaders it would be un-
wisely exercised and strike would be called,
resulting in untold suffering and hardships to
the strikers. We had the interests of our
shopmen at heart and did not want to face
the situation of having to fill their places.
We appreciated that in any emergency which
might arise the public welfare demanded
that our trains be kept running.
On July 10, ten days after the strike had
been called and some of our shopmen had
desert their posts we again addressed them.
The public had to be served with transporta-
ton and if our shopmen who left our service
were not going to return to their positions,
new men had to be employed to fill the vacan-
cies. We did not want to employ new men
until we were absolutely sure that those
who went out would not return. 1t there
fore became necessary for us to fix time
within which those who left their positions
could return without loss of pension, seniority
and other rights. We waited ten days for our
former employees to make up their minds,
hoping all the time that they would return,
and after having waited that long we gave
them another whole week within which they
could return without loss of any of their
rights.
Holding, as we do, that service to the pub
lie is our first and highest duty, we could no
longer continue waiting policy and thus run
the risk of not being able adequately to take
care of those depending upon this railway
system for transportation service
After having taken every precautlon we
could consistently take in behalf of the men
who went out, we began employing new men,
The men who took the places of those VINO
left our service have courageously and effici-
emily assisted us in rendering to the public an
unimpaired transportation service We be-
lieve they are entitled to very great considera-
ton, not only from us, but also from our
patrons. We submit that no fair-minded per-
son with correct understanding of the situa-
ton would have US deal unfairly by these
men,.
There is no dispute about the right of work
men to leave their positions. Neither can
there be any question about the right OF
others to take the places thus made vacant,
nor the right of any man to work when and
where he may wish. Those rights are es-
sential to civilization. The President OF the
United States has asserted that he will, II
necessary, use the full power of the United
States Government to sustain these rights
Neither can there be any question as to the
a44:+,,Jo - +ho TI1ipoic Cautra1 system to-