The Washington times., 1922-07-28
RAIL CLERKS
At RICHMOND
Join WALK0UT
Union Leader AssaiIs Virginia
Chamber Of Commerce for
MeddIesome Tactics.
BY A. CL0YD GILL
(Staff correspondent.)

| RICHMOND, Va, July 2s.--
Three score of clerks in the rail-
road offices at Norfolk and New
port News have Joined the ranks
of the striking employees and To-
cal strikers are jubilant over
finally tying up the Seaboard
Fconnections of several important
lines, the Chesapeake and Ohio
being hardest hit. + A.
The past twenty-four hours
have been a period of celebra-
ton for the nearly 5000 strikers
here. p,
Unions Expect Victory.
Chairman Ben Hooper. of the La.
Dor Board. stood by his guns for a
long while, but he was finally forced
to admit defeat" said s. I. Cotrell.
chairman Of the central federation
mere.
President Harding gives up and
today he is quoted as begging the
railroad men to return to the shops.
president Harahan, Of the Chesa.
peake & Ohio. through his assistant,
Vice-President G. b. Wall, says. Our
freight service has gone to pieces.
We want assistance from President
Harding"
Exhibiting a copy of The Washing.
ton Times of Thursday. Richard p.
Dee, grand vice-president Of the rail.
way clerks, read to a mass meeting
the story carrying the admission of
Vice President Wall that the strike
had virtually wrecked service on that
road; that coal loading had fallen off
| from 1900 cars to less than 500; that
| only Intervention by the Federal Gov.
ernment can save the railroad busi-
| ness of the country.
Men Are Sticking.
Mr.. Dee told the 1900 strikers at
the meeting yesterday afternoon
that he had just completed a tour of
the Norfolk and Western and the
| had found the men on strike stick
ing solidly together.
The Richmond Chamber Of Com
merce. which passed resolutions in.
dorsing the stand taken by the rail.
road and in effect condemning the
| strikers, was assailed by Mr.. Dee.
who pleaded with the striking men
and women to remember the action
Of the local commercial body after
| the strike is settled.
I'VE don't want any meddling from
| the chamber Of commerce." the
| speaker decla red.
Remember who makes UP the
chamber Of commerce. After the
strike. spend your money with your
| friends.
Don't publish an unfair list. Pub.
lish a fair list. Publish the names
Of business men who are fair In this
strike and spend your money with
them"
Dee Warns Clerks.
Warning the clerks against show.
| ing signs of weakness, Mr.. Dee de.
clared that the recent order Of the
Labor Board would strip them of
everything they have ever gotten.
The order would take away from the
| shopmen, he said. all they have
/ gained in the past thirty years.
Attacking w. w. Atterbury, vice.
president of the Pennsylvania sys.
| tenn. Mr.. Dee said that that official
| told President Harding his system
| would stick to its original plan of
! making deals with the company's
men and not with outside labor lead.
ers. He warned local strikers against
a company agreement" declaring
| that under such a plan. a man who
had a grievance is fired off the Job
because he is regarded as an unde.
sirable.
Men Walking Out.
| Reports received at union head
quarters here from points along the
systems operating lines through this
| point show that more men are walk
ing out daily and casting their lot
| with the strikers. One letter was
from a group of men who the com
pany had announced had returned to
work. The men branded the report
as false and declared they would
sticR together until they got orders
from their union leaders to return tc
their old jobs
Chairman Cottrell called the rol
of the five railroads represented
here, and union leaders from each
road gave a report at yesterdays
meeting of conditions on their re
spective lines. All reports were to the
effect that the forces Of the strikers
were gaining strength in all the
crafts and in the general offices.
| SndTleS fuTuy, reporting LOT tHt
clerks, declared that the railroads
could easily "fill the chairs with
srtike breakers, but could moi
fill the jobs" with capable men
He cited numerous cases where
the railroads have fallen down In
making deliveries of freight a,
points where they claim they have
filled permanently ALI jobs formerly
held by the strikers.
Spirited Meeting.
Local railroad officials are silent
other than to say that business IL
moving along about as usual. Ir
reference to the injunction against
picketing granted against striking
employees of the Chesapeake and
Ohio and the Richmond, Fredericks
burg and Potomac railroads. they
say "the paper speaks for itself"
1t is not believed that the striker,
will oppose making the injunction
permanent when a hearing is hat
before Federal Judge d. Lawrence
Groner here. II was said that on,
or more arrests of pickets woult
take pace some time today ant
that a test case would be taker
through the courts to determine