The Colorado statesman., 1922-07-22
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD


c TRENUOUS efforts to bring to an
~ end the strike of railway shopmen
were made last week by Chairman
Hooper and his colleagues of the fed
eral labor board, but up to the time of
writing these had been entirely un-
successful and the status of affairs
did not give much hope of an early
peace. Late Wednesday night the rail-
way executives took action that In the
minds of many placed on them the
burden of blame for the failure of ne
gotiatlons. They fatty refused to en-
ter into a parley with B. NJ. Jewell,
leader of the strikers, and their rea-
sons were held by Mr.. Hooper to be
in the main quite insufficient They de-
manded that the shopmen abandon
their strike and then proceed to set
tie their grievances through the labor
board. They declined to meet Jewell
on the ground that, the men having
struck In defiance of the decision and
order of the board and the controlling
provisions of the transportation act,
"the Issue thus raised is not one for
consideration between the carriers and
crafts on strike, except through the
further orderly processes before the
United States railroad labor board, as
contemplated by the transportation
act"
Unbiased opinion will agree with
Mr.. Hooper's statement that the execu-
tive gave no reason that would satisfy
the public He continued: 'In so far
as the decllnation Is based on a desire
to preserve the authority and dignity
OF the railroad labor board, 1t Is super
fuous The labor board will endeavor
to take care of itself in that regard
The statement In the letter that
the strike Is a refusal to accept the
results of the arbitration of the rail
road labor board" falls a little short
of accuracy. One of the questions in
volved in the strike Is violation of
the boards decisions by certain car
riers. 1t is true nearly all of the car
rlers have discontinued this practice,
but some of them have not"
Chairman Hooper intimated that
new peace plans of the board involved
appeals to the railway lines individu-
ally.
In many parts of the country, es-
pecially the Middle West, Texas, and
on the Pacific coast, the disorders due
to the strike became increasingly vlo-
lent, and number of men were killed.
In several states the militia was
called out, and in some localities,
notably Bloomington, ILL.,, the engl-
nd
against working under military guard.
sympathetic strikes were talked of.
The leaders of the brotherhoods held
several conferences and said their men
would continue to operate trains up
TO the point where the military occu-
patton began.
President Helt of the railway sig
nalmen announced that his organiZa-
tion had postponed striking pending
negotiations with the labor board
which are now under way. On one
Eastern road all the clerks struck.
Determined to guard federal inter-
ests. the administration at Washing
ton has been keeping close tab on the
deyelopmeuts, and President Harding
,ssued proclamation directing all
nersons to refrain with all interfer-
ence with the lawful efforts to main
tajn Interstate transportation and the
CARRYING of the United States mails"
This was done after Postmaster Gen
eraI Work had submitted to the cab
,net numerous instances of interfer-
ence with the transportation of the
malls and the information that mum
Der Of roads had been forced to aoan'