The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-08-12
Unions Reject President Hard.
ing's Proposal, Is Report.
Not Willing to Leave Question
to Labor Board.
RAIL ANSWER NOT RECEIVED
Is Believed Roads VIII Offer
Partial Acceptance.
Brotherhood Protests a Real
Issue in Settlement.
(By the Associated Press.J

(By the Associated PressJ
Washington, Aug. 12.-Heads of the
seven railroad organizations nov on
strike were declared by one OF their
chief officials today, after q finsl con-
ference to have decided to reject
completely the last strike settlement
proposal put forwad by President
Harding.
The striking unions in o written
response sent to the White House
were said by this official to have told
| the president they could not call off
| the strike unless guarantee was given
! that all of their men would be rein
stated in service with seniority rights
unimpaired The president had pro-
posed that the seniority status Of the
returning strikers be left to ad1udica-
| tion by the railroad labor board.
Rail Heads May Compromise.
| New York. Aug. IA compromise
plan which neither surrenders the po-
sition of the railroads nor rejects
flatly, President Harding's suggestion
for an armistice in the rail- strike, will
4 be presented to President Harding in
Washington at 4:30 o'clock this after
noon by committee headed by T.
Dewitt Cuyler. chairman of the Asso-
| citation of Railway Executives.
The official statement, issued after
| six and one-half hours pariey be-
hind closed doors in the Grand Gen.
trail station. was noncommunicative
but hints and phrases dropped by
various officials indicated that the fol-
| lowing had occurred:
! /. The hard shells (those execu-
tives who believed that the presidents
plan should be rejected in toto) had
lost their fight.
2. The soft shells Chose who fa-
vored accepting the plan as the best
way out of a ticklish situation) had
| been forced to make heavy compro-
misses to avoid the conference being
| deadlocked.
| fxao,,+t.,o. v,,tfT owraok f,,-4t,o- In
| depreciation of the Harding plan be-
fore they can begin to restore the old
| men to their places with full seniority
Washington. Aug. 12.-Answer of
the striking railway shopmen to the
presidents final proposals for a set
| tlement was expected to emerge today
from the general conference of labor
1 here.
| with it, according to Warren S.
| Stone, chief Of the Engineers brother
| hood and presiding officer of the con-
ference, will come a statement TO the
public explaining the attitude of the
non-striking rail unions and the pro-
test walkouts of train service em-
ployes over the country, who have
further complicated the situation.
| Presumably the shipments answer
will be transmitted promptly to the
White House where a committee of
railway executives was due during the
day to present the conditional ac-
| CepLdnCe OF Lne presidents plan VOIeQ
yesterday by the general meeting OF
railroad heads in New York.
| brotherhood Looms Up.
Pending actual presentation Of the
replies of both sides at the White
| House overnight developments in the
1 protest walkout movement among the
| train service brotherhoods indicated
/ that this phase of the problem might
overshadow soon the direct effect OF
| the shop strike itself. The cabinet
| had much information on the subject
at hand when IL met yesterday but
press reports brought In new advices
| every hour.
A majority of the walkouts were
in protest against the employment OF
| troops and armed guards. The federal
government is concerned only so far az
| deputy marshals at various points are
classed armed guards. There are
no federal troops on strike duty.
| Nevertheless II was authoritatively
| stated for the administration yesterday
| that no strike OF any character would
prevent the government from directing
its agencies to protect life and prop
erty where necessary. Beyond that
| pose, no comment on the protest walk
out situation was available in adminis-
tration circles.
Won't Ask Help Of, Congress.
| (By the Associated Press.l
| Washington, Aug. 12.-President
Harding was said by administration
advisers today to have abandoned,
! Temporarily at least, his plan for ask
! the railroad strike situation.
4