Evening star., 1922-08-11
RAIL UNION CHIEFS
MEET TO CONSIDER
PLAN Of PRESIDENT
Iona Session Predicted as
II Leaders Convene, With
Rejection Forecast.
STRIKE BEFORE CABINET;
MANY REPORTS READY
No Inkling Given of Probable
Course of U. S. Should Peace
Efforts Fail.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Heads of seventeen railroad labor
organizations, including those OF
strike and the larger operating
brotherhoods, considered Presiden
Harding's latest strike settlemen
proposal for more than two hours TO-
day without reaching any decision a.
to what response should be made o9
the men on strike.
Warren S. Stone. grand chief or tht
Brotherhood of Engineers, who pre-
sided at the session. which adJourneo
shortly after noon, said another meet
ing would be held later in the day
but that probably no answer woulc
be drawn up before tomorrow.
Chief officials of the seventeen rail-
road labor organizations went into
Joint session shortly after 10 O'CLOCK
today and B. NJ Jewell, their chair
man, said the session would De
long one. They had nothing to add &c
their previously given indications ina
the shop unions INTENDED 10 feJeS
the Presidents proposal. whlch pro-
of au strikers to adjustment by the
Railroad Labor Board after thelr re-
turn to work.
Expect Dispatches.
Attending the meeting today IN ad-
ait;on to Chairman Jewell were war
rem S stone. grand chief, Brother
hood of locomotive engineers; ID. b
Robertson, president, Brotherhood OF
Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen;
1nn
Railway Conductors; ]. w. Kline
president, Brotherhood of Black
smiths; w. Fl. Johnston. president
ASSOCIATION of Machinists; j.. A:
Franklin, president. brotherhood OF
Boilermakers; James Burns, wee
president, Sheet Metal Workers Al
lance; James ]. Noonan, president
Martin F. Ryan, president. Brother
hood of Railway Carmen; 7. Z.
Cashen, president. Switchmen's Union;
z. H. Fitzgerald, president, Brother-
hood of Railway and Steamship ma
Of Railroad Telegraphers; E. F:
Cradle, president. Maintenance OF
way Employees; D. ". Helt. president.
brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen
Timothy Healy. president. Brother
hood of Stationary firemen ana Oi-
ers, and w. N. Doak, vice president
brotherhood of Trainmen. The or
ganiL.tion of the train dispatchers
was also expected to be represented
at the session.
Cabinet Meets Also.
President Harding and his cabinet
went into session at exactly the same
time the union leaders assembled and
the rail strike was foremost in the
eabir It discussions. Attorney Gener-
nj Daugherty before leaving the De-
partment of Justice for the White
House sent kilograms to representa-
fives of the department in Arizona.
New Mexico and California, asking
for reports on the walkouts OF the
Big Four Brotherhood members on
the Santa Fe in its western territory.
He also carried press dispatches tell.
ing of the walkout into the cabinet
meeting, and other members of the
Presidents official family went to the
cabinet session prepared to report On
various features of the rail strike.
So far as known the shop craft ex-
ecutives, who have been here several
days, have taken no steps as yet to-
ward framing their answer.
No New Strike Planned.
It has been repeatedly emphasized
by Mr. Jewell, spokesman for the
allied shop unions, that the general
conference was desired In an advisory
way and that extension of the strike
among other railroad unions was not
expected to result from today's meet
ing. Since the conference was called.
however, members of some other rail
unions at various points have re-
fused, with the sanction of the union
heads, to work under conditions pre-
vailing due to the shopmen's strike.
Protest walkouts against the use of
troops and armed guards and also
against alleged deterioration of roll
ing stock resulted and it appeared
certain that this phase of the rail-
road problem would be given much
attention by the general conference
when 1t went into session.
Early action by the shopmen toward
framing their answer to Mr.. Hard
ing's proposal that the seniority dis
pute be referred to the Railroad La
Dor Board for settlement was not
expected. Mr.. Jewell anticipated that
1t would take q day or more for the
general conference to go over the
ground with the shopmen. 1t SEEM
ed likely that the mems answer would
not reach the President before next
week.
Rejection Is Predicted.
Since the Presidents new and final
suggestion was made known shop
craft leaders here have freely pre-
dicted that 1t would be rejected. al
though declaring themselves without
power to commit the unions on such
q proposition. Tho executive heads
Of tho organization in the shopcraft
federation who have power to act
have been engaged in conferences
here preparatory to the general
gathering today. and nothing has
been said to alter the impression that
rejection is a foreGone conclusion,
only the form of the answer to the
President being in doubt.
Meanwhile, administration leaders
have given no inkIing as to the course
the government will follow II 1t again
faces rejection Of it's efforts to bring
about voluntary termination Of the
strike. Congress will be in full
session next week, ready. as the Presi-
dent desires, to take up the problem
should the administration find It ex-
pedient to seek emergency LEGISLATION,
but there Is nothing to indicate that
a definite program has been or will be
prepared until the answers oe both
sides reach the White House.