Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-08-02
HARDING IDEA
: ON SENIORITY
SHOWED UNDER
Executives Indicate
Will Operate Roads on
Labor Now Available.
Hoover Pleads in Vain
for President s Propos-
al; Meeting Short.

New York, Aug. 1.-(By The As
sociated Press s).-Railway executives
of the nation Tuesday firmly but
courteously rejected the program adj
vanced by the Harding administration
for settlement of the rail strike.
Willing to accept conditionaily two
suggestions put forward by the White
House-that both sides abide by wage
decisions of the railroad labor board
and that lawsuits springing out of the
strike be withdrawn-the heads of 148
roads declared emphatically that it was
impossible to reinstate workers with
unlmpaired seniority rights, the third
provision in the presidents plan.
After being told by Robert s. Lovett
of the Union Pacific that there was
no moral or practical reason for budg-
ing from their position. the executives
disbanded, caught the first trains for
their respective headquarters and in
dicated that they were going ahead
and would operate their roads with the
forces they had assembled since the
shopmen walked out on July 1.
The decision not to yield on the
question of seniority was made known
the rail heads had listened 70 20
minute address by Secretary of Com
merce Hoover. who as direct repre-.
sentative of the president. told them in
effect that the administration held the
seniority question of minor Importance
compared with that of upholding the
labor board.
Harding Writes Cuyler
of letter from President Harding ad-
dressed to I. Dewitt CuyIer. chairman
of the American Association of Rail-
way executives. embodying ''the terms
of agreement, as / understand them.
upon which the railway managers and
united shop crafts workers are to
agree. preliminary to calling off the
existing strike"
President Harding had closed his
letter with these two sentences:
Il need hardly add that l have
reason to believe these terms will be
accepted by the workers If there is
good reason why the managers cannot
accept. they will be obligated to open
airect negotiations or assume full
responsibility for the situation"
In addition. Secretary Hoover had
urged upon the executives. at their
morning session. when the text of the
letter was read. that settle
ment of the rail strike was imperative,
IN view of the complcating conditions
introduced by the coal strike.
1t became apparent from the very
opening of Tuesdays conference that
the seniority question would be the
wedge which would divide administra-
ton and railway executives.
The only question which arose dur
ing the short period during which the
presidents proposal was under active
discussion was how emphatically the
reply rejecting his plan should be
worded.
In the balloting each road was given
,ne vote for each loco miles OF track
t operated
The reply. drafted during the noon
'ecess by the standing committee. was
adopted by vote of o65 70 ..
This. however. represented unani-
nous disapproval of the presidents
'lan. the two dissenting votes being
'ast BY l.. +. Loree, chairman of the
'astern conference representing the
Delaware 4 Hudson and the Kansas
Ity Southern. with the explanation
hat he wished the seniority proposal
urned down even more decisively.
Two Not Represented
Only two roads operating in the
nlted States were not reported as
represented at Tuesdays conference.
they were the Atlanta. birmingham &
Atlantic and the Gulf & Ship Island.
10Th of which were declared to have
'een unaffected by the shop crafs
trike
President A. II. Smith of the New
lork Central, apparently crystalized
he sentiment of the rail chiefs when,
n the midst of their discussion he
hrew upon the conference table
unde of 400 kilograms from fore
nen ana supervisors of the road an
louncng their willingness to resign II
eniority ranking of the strikers were
eturned
Immediately others leaped to their
eet to testify to a similar condition
mong officials of their roads Resig-
ations would be wholesale. from sub
oremen TO general managers, if their
'ersonal pledges to protect present
mployes could not be made good, they
eclared
What we want the government 10
%. is TO let us alone: to let us settle
his strike in our own way" declared
ir. Smith
New Shop Forces
1--WE have organized new shop
orces ana are getting the roads back
o normal Unless the government
eases it's Interference we will have q
ar worse strike on our hands. You
,ust stand by those who stand BY
on TO maintain discipline. If strikers
re reinstated with seniority rights. it
ill be impossible to maintain disci-
line. :,
"Acceptance of President Harding's
would result in complete de-
of Americas Transports
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