The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-08-11
REPLY OF RAIL
CHIEFS is LEFT
TO COMMITTEE
Heads Of l48 Railroads Con-
vene In New York-No In
dication Made of Nature OF
Answer to Harding.
EAST URGES REFUSAL
CBy Associated f--ess)


NEW YORK, Aug. 11.-Heads Of 142
American railroads today appointed a
committee to recommend a reply to
President Harding's latest proposal
for settlement of the nationwide rail
strike.
1t was not indicated by those leav-
ing the conference chamber what
would be the nature of the reply To
the administration suggestion that
the matter of seniority at which the
executives had baked at their last
meeting here, should be left out the
railroad labor board.
T. Dewitt Cuyler, head of the as
soclation of railway executives was
named ex-officio head of the commit
tee of which Judge Robert Lovett, OF
the Union Pacific was chairman.
The members were reported 10 be
practically the same as those who re-
jected Mr.. Harding's first proposal.
East Is Opposed
The eastern division appeared unal-
terably opposed to acceptance of the
presidents plan because it provided
that the question of returning strik
ers with seniority rights unimpaired
should be shunted back to the United
States Railroad labor board for final
decision.
The attack was led by L. F. Loree
OF the Delaware and Hudson w W
Atterbury of the Pennsylvania, A. H
| Smith, OF the New York Central and
Frederick Underwood of the Erie.
To accept the plan they maintained
would be TO jeopardize at the hands OF
the labor board, their promises to non-
| strikers and new employees that SEN
! iority rights would be based or 10y.
| atty. 1t also would spell victory for
| the unions, by again giving them rec
/ ognition before the labor board which
! last July s outlawed all strikers an,
shut the door on the shop crafts
! unions.
Third Ground.
/ AS third ground for refusing the
/ presidents offer to let the labor board
j act as mediator the belligerents de-
| clared they already were in sight of
an open victory over the strikers and
urged that they be permitted to con-
tinue without interference a finish
fight"
President FELTON, of the Chicago and
Great Western acknowledged spokes-
man for western and southwestern
lines was looked upon as a leader in
! the movement to ratify the peace pro-
/ posal.
His group stands for ratification not
! because they have any more faith 10
the decision of the labor board but be
cause they want the strike settled and
/ their shops restored to normal. In ad-
dltlon they want the good will of the
/ pubic which they believe would swing
to the strikers if the association Of
railway executives should again turn
deaf ear to President Harding.
! Roads Hard Hit.
/ These western and southern roads
nave been hard hit by the strike, and
their managers express none of the
desire for a finish fight" apparent in
the camp of the bigger eastern sys-
tens. Their reserves Of locomotives
/ are small, they have few surplus cars
and their schedules have been badly
disrupted
Numerous passenger and freigh.
trains have been discontinued. they
point out-a condition not yet true of
the east to an alarming extent
The imminence of another bumper
| harvest, which, with a strike on, would
find them almost paralyzed, was an
other of their strongest arguments
With so many issues TO be threshed
out and with at least three factions
TO be brought together before there
could be majority action. officials
OF the association forecast that if
would be hours before the drafting of
a reply to President Harding would
begin
They looked for no such spontan.
i eous and unanimous action as greeted
the presidents first nronoSal which
they asserted, would nave been re-
jected in the first 10 minutes, had it
not been for the interruption of Her
bert Hoover, secretary of commerce,
who appeared with a plea from thu
White House for a favorable consid-
Grafton of the plan