The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-08-10

g probably will receive Monday
sday of next week the formal
of the rail shopcrafts fedora
20 his proposal that the seniority
W,Sphte be left to the railroad labor
~ard for decision.
Executive heads of the shopmen's
unions were again engaged today in
conferences here preparatory to draft.
ing their reply. but B. M. Jewell,
spokesman for the group reiterated
that the general conference of rail-
road labor organization heads on Fri
day would be consulted and indicated
that it might take several days to
get the communication to the presi-
dent in shape.
Discussions yesterday among the
shopcraft's executives new plan woull
be rejected by the men,
The heads of the railroad manage.
ments are to meet in New York Fri
day to frame their answer to the
White House proposal.
In the meantime nothing has come
to light to indicate that the admin
istration has a definite program pre-
pared to present to Congress should
the Presidents latest effort at media
ton in the rail strike situation prove
unavailing.
Rail Executives Statement
Chicago, August 1O.-(By the Asso-
ciated Press)-S. NJ. FELTON,, chairman
of the Western Committee on Public
Relations, of the Association of Rail-
way Executives, explaining the rail-
roads view of President Harding's
proposals for settling the railroad
shopmen's strike, made public a state
ment today.
Mr.. FELTON, said a majority of the
public had been misled by union lead
ers. and there is considerable confu-
sion over the presidents proposal
with respect to the seniority ques-
tion.1
There cannot he any difference of
opinion, Mr. FELTON, said, among
reasonable men as to the desirability
of terminating this strike at an early
date, provided this could be done with
approximate justice to those who are
directly concerned and which will not
make railroad strikes more likely in
the future.
THE labor leaders, in their letter
to the president, did not agree to ac-
cept the rulings of the labor board in
the future. Every word they said
upon this subject shows that. regard
less of the settlement of this strike,
they have reserved the right to strike
in future against any decision of the
board which they do not like. = +
There is only one way in which
employees can possibly refuse to rec
ognize the validity Of and carry out
a decision of the railroad labor board.
That is by striking rather than ac-
cepting it. This proposal of course
could not possibly have meant any
thing with respect to the future con-
let of the future employees except
Maey were to agree that in the
they could not strike rather
accept, rather than to carry out
ons of the board.
abor leaders concede it is the
duty of the workers to abide by the
decisions of the board only as long
as they continue service, that is, un-
til they strike.
1T is absolutely impossible for the
employees to violate decision of the
board except by striking, and the la
Dor leaders necessarily reach the as
tonishing conclusion that while the
railways can violate decisions of the
board, it is impossible for the en-
ployes to do so
"Originally the president proposed
simply that the employees who struck
be taken back with the same senior
ity rights that they had before they
struck.
"This would mean that practically
every new man the railroads have
employed, would have to be discharg-
ed. 1t would mean that every en-
ploye who was low on the seniority
list and who stayed at work would be
put back in his former position on the
seniority list where he would be laid
off in periods of depression, while the
men who struck would be given regu-
lar employment. The tendency this
would have in future, both to encour-
age strikes and to make it more diff
ficult during strikes on railways tC
get men to go to work as new men
W ould be too obvious to require
mention.
"The great body of men who have
stayed at work or who have gone tc
work during the strike and helped
maintain service by the railroads have
done so at great personal risk tC
themselves and their families. by sac
rificing seniority rights which they
have earned. has not been sufficiently
considered.