The Owosso times., 1922-09-01
Seniority Again Blocks Efforts
to Settle the Railway
Shopmen'S Strike.
BERT jewell NOT HOPEFUL
Illinois Miners Resume Work and
Profiteers Boost Prices-House
Passes Coal Commission Bill
Senate Acts Swiftly on
Soldiers B onus-
Staying Of Mi
chaeI Collins.
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD

9 ENIORITY rights were still block
- ing a settlement Of the railway
shOpmen's strike as last week drew to
a close, and though peace efforts were
continued, their success was worse
than problematical in view of the un-
compromising stand of both sides on
the chief point in dispute. On Wednes-
day the Association Of Railway Execu-
tives, by a vote of 254 to 4, rejected
the proposal Of the chiefs of the
brotherhoods, acting as mediators,
that the strikers be reinstated with
seniority unimpaired. The brother
hood leaders, after comforting with
heads Of other rail unions, suggested
the possibility of separate agreements
with the railroads, and the executives
said they would test the sincerity of
this proposal, but with the distinct
understanding that any individual
settlement would have to conform to
the understanding of seniority reached
at the general session Of the execu.
tives. Most of the railroads also re-
fuse to agree to take back all of the
strikers, as consistently demanded by
the union.
Bert M. Jewell, spokesman for the
strikers, was pessimistic as to peace
full settlement. He issued a state
ment saying.
"The association of railway execu-
tives has closed the door. The unions
have offered every concession within
reason to send the strike and to save
the public from breakdown Of trans
portation,t but the association has
made none. On the contrary 1t has,
since the strike began, raised an EN-
tirely new and irrelevant issue of its
own-seniority; and by its refusal to
recede from it's position has made a
seHlement impossible at this time.
The responsibility for what will hap
pen now rests wholly upon it.
"The shop craft employees voted in
June for strike to establish living
wage and decent working conditions.
The association of railway executives
have now voted for lockout to
smash unionism on the railroads and
to eliminate collective bargaining
from the industry.
"The 100000 striking employees ac-
cept the challenge of the association.
We redouble our efforts, confident of
success"
EROM the american Federation Of
H. Labor came ,dh appeal to its four
million members to give their moral
and financial support tS the striking
shopmen. Jrattributes to "the small
but powerful group of bankers who
control the finances of the railroads"
the .adoption of policy by the rail-
roads Of "bitter antagonism to the
organizations of the workers." reas-
ssytins what many, unprejudiced per-
sons believe, namely, that there is a
deliberate plan to destroy the unions.
Most of the sporadic strikes of
brotherhood men soon came to an end,
but last week the Southern railroad
was badly tied up by walkouts of
train and engine men. The situation
became so serious that the superin-
tendent Of mails In the southern dis
trict planned to handle mails by mo-
tortruck service, with the possibility
of calling on the army to handle and
protect the trucks.
Secretary of War Weeks said he
did not believe the administration
would make further attempts to set
tie the railway strike. and added:
"The government Is not going to per-
init transportation service to break
down." rs ~ "a -. i. ,s. - Al