The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-08-12
TURN DOWN
SENIORITY
PROPOSAL
President, Union Heads
and Hooper Confer
at White House.

Washington, Aug. 12.-(By the
Associated Press. OF the
seven railroad organizations now
on strike were declared by one Of
their chief officials today, after
final conference, to have decided to
reject completely the last strike
settlement proposal put forward
by President Harding.
The striking unions, in . vrittsn
response sent to the White house.
were said to have told the presi-
dent they could not call on the
strike unless a guarantee was given
that all Of their men would be re-
instated in service with seniority
rights unimpaired.
Went Leave - Beard
The president had proposed That
the seniority status Of the return
ing strikers b left to adjudication.
by the railroad labor board.
The response was understood to
be q rejection Of the proposition to
leave seniority of strikers to the
decision Of the railroad labor board
but no statement was made.
Soon after the response Of the
striking shopmen reached the
White house, heads Of the non
striking unions. who have been in
conference with the shop crafts
leaders for the past two days, ar
rived at the White House and
went into conference with Presi-
dent Harding. Secretaries Hoover
and Davis, Chairman Hooper of the
railroad labor board. and Chairman
Cummins of the senate interstate
commerce committee, also partici-
pated in the conference.
Washington, Aug. 12.-(By the
Associated PresH) - President
Harding was said by admintstra-
ton advisors today to have aban-
doned. temporarily at least, his
plan for asking legislstion Of con-
gress to deal with the railroad
strike situation.
Deny Milwaukee StikA
Milwaukee, Wis, Aug 12.-(By'
the Associated Press. )-Published
reports in a morning newspaper
that strike of all big Four" broth
erhood employees Of the Milwaukee.
division of the Chicago. Milwaukee,
& st. Paul railroad had been called
for II a m. Saturday, were declar-.
ed this morning to be Without
foundation.
Thomas Howard, president Of To-
cal No. 1870, Brotherhood Of LOcD-
motive Firemen and Enginemen.
who attended the brotherhood meet
ing in a hall ON the west side last
night, declared that "ths word
strike was not mentioned at the
meeting"
All regular trains left union de-
pot as usual this morning. officials
said. No special train from the
depot to West Milwaukee shops
was run.
Merely ~Protest" Meeting.
1t was reported that the fact that
officials contemplated putting in a
special train to carry workmen
now employed to the shops was
the cause Of the protest meeting
held by the big Four" brother
hoods and that a resolution was
adopted protesting against this.
This resolution is said to have been
carried to w. ]. Thiele, general su-
perintendent, and resulted in the
train being called OF.
Reports of a contemplated
strike among our trainmen and en-
ginemen are FALSE" B. P. Greer,
vice president Of the road, said.
There is no such action contem-
plated as far as / know, and / am
positive that l would know some
thing about it il q strike had been
voted"
Local Strikes Spread.
Chicago, Aug. 12.-(By the As.
sociated ress.)-Nation-wide par
alysis of railroad transportation
threatened today as big Four
brotherhood men in various parts
of the country called meetings te
consider Joining the trainmen'l
walkout, which started when crew.
tied up trans-continental Santa Fl
4 Continued on Page Thirteen.)