New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-07-21
Cummins Meets Heads of
Great Trunk Lines and
Leaders of Shopmen in
Settlement Negotiations
Executive Ready to
Order a Conference
Forty Roads, in Council
Here, Declare Fight to
Finish Against Strikers

WASHINGTON, July 81 (By The
Associated Press) s).-An effort to settle
the railroad strike at suddenly
arranged conference Of heads of lead
ing railroads and members of the Sen
ate Interstate Commerce Committee
here tonight was understood to have
failed
Those attending the conference said
it now appeared that settlement was
much more distant and expressed pes
simism over the immediate outlook,
viewing the coal and railroad strikes
together.
Enactment Of legislation which might
remove difficulties in the way Of set
Ting the strike was discussed at the
conference.
Senators Watson, Of Indiana, and
Kellogg, Of Minnesota, both Republican
members of the Senate Interstate Com
merce Committee, also attended the
conference which began shortly after 9
o'clock and continued until after mid
night.
The only intimation of the nature of
the conference was given in q formal
statement issued by Senator Cummins
after the meeting had broken up.
Cummins Explains Purpose
Senator Cummins in his statement
said:
Senators Kellogg, Watson and my
self had conference with some of the
Eastern railroad presidents for the pur-
pose of talking over the strike and as
certaining, If possible, the exact issues
between the roads and the strikers. We
wanted to discover whether there was
any legislation that would remove the
difficulty in the way of an adjustment.
ave discussed the whole situation
freely and frankly. The views of the
shopmen have already been fully dis
closed at Chicago. The object of the
conference was solely to Secure i1for-
nation upon this very vital subject
Senator Cumnlins said he would be
compelled to decline answ ering in
quiries as to the details of the con-
ference, but did not say, in expressing
an opinion as to the outlook for an
adjustment of the strike, that he was
"hopeful to the last" He declared no
conclusion had been reached as to what
legislation was needed.
Asked as to whether the executives
came to Washington by invitation or at
their own instance, he said that he
could not discuss that subject. He
AIDED, however, that he did not ask the
railroad chiefs to come here for the
conference.
Railway officials leaving here last
night fer Washington were L. F. Loree,
president of the Delaware & Hudson;
E. N. Brown, chairman of the Pere Mar
quette; E. J. Pearson, president of the
New Haven, ard A. N. Smith, president
of the New York Central.
Representatives of the railroads
here maintained the greatest secrecy
in regard to the summons of Senator
Cummins. They declared positively,
however, that no matter what it's pur-
pose, the conference would not lead
to change in the carriers position
on the seniority issue.
Senator Cummins has conferred with
President Harding on various phases
of the situation and the conference to-
night was said to have been called at
the Presidents request.
New Conference Forecast
In Cabinet circles it was said that
the President probably would call rail-
road officials and labor officials in con-
terence IL a SeEtleMGnt was HOL SooH
reached.
Among other railroad officials under
stood to be in conference with Sena-
tor Cummins are w. w. Atterbury, of
the Pennsylvania; w. H. Truesdale, of
the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western;
Frank A. Alfred, Of the Pere Marquette,
and Alfred P. Thorn, general counsel
of the Association of Railway Execu-
tives.
Executives Of forty Eastern rail-
ways agreed yesterday to fight the
striking shopmen to finish, it was
announced at the close Of their month
ly meeting at the Bankers Club.
The carriers, according to John G..
Walber, their official spokesman, are
determined not only to hold out
against restoring the seniority and
pension rights of the strikers but also
to oppose the establishment of an ad-
justment board and the dismissal Of
lawsuits instituted against the unions.
The roads will refuse to negotiate on
the overtime rules and working condi-