Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-20

Chicago, July D.-B. Nj. Jewell,
A.sd Of the Railroad Shopcraft Union,
N an hours interview yesterday out.
Mred the strike to me from his view.
,oint. met the president Of the strik
!, inp shopmcn Mt his Office in the Riviera
Y pu;Iding, far out OH the North Side
. Of the city.
The headquarters Of the railroad EN-.
! ,,oves department OF the American Fed
= .,otion of Labor, which is the official
name of the striking shopmen's orsani-
,stion. occupies the top floor Of three
.torv structure, minus an elevator, but
elaborate in tilework and exterior deco.
ration of cnamcled brick
Mr.. Jewells Office Is an unpreten.
tious 10 by II room, containing three
chairs, a fiat top desk loaded with let
tcrs and kilograms, few photographs
an The walls and no rugs on the floor.
He was in his shirt sleeves at his desl;
= debating to a stenographer when was
Introduced.
In personal appearance he Is not the
typicai strike leader. He is Of medium
height and build. tending to slender
ness. His features are clean. .cut, face
inclined TO be long, but full of ANNA
tion, His brown hair Is without n
touch of gray, and fancy he is about
forty five years of age. When he be-
comes interested his conversation is
direct and his language well chosen,
His eyes behind his bis-rimmed spectacles
look squarely into yours.
"Are you willing to meet the railroad
executives and discuss the situation with
Ako ~sl sl,o0 4
him bluntly.
1--WE are, most mphatically," was
the reply. Then he added: 1--WE al.
ways have been ready to meet them"
"what is the stumbling block. then
70 an adjustment of your difficulties
and the return Of the men to the shops?"
The operators demand that our men
must return to work before they will
consider any question Mt issue. This is
impossible. we want to know just
where we stand before we return"
"And why impossible?" l asked,
Because II we returned under such
IN arrangement 1t would afford the
railroad executives the opportunity Of
accepting or rejecting any or all Of our
men. The question Of sacrificing Sc
niority rights OF members Of our organi-
sation would be involved. The result
would breed dissensions and trouble and
We would be worse of than we were in
the first instance, or before the men
went out.
what do the shopmen ask as a con-
dition for their returning to work"
continued.
Gives Shopmen's Demands
THAT the railroads agree to abolish
the contract system Of farming out re-
pairs: that they will permit our men to
return to work with unimpaired rights.
These are the principal things we ask
I" he adjusted. and that they also agree
T. Sjder the question of wages
Nns been charged that you are a
radical. Mr.. Jewell; Is that sO?" I in
teriected. He smiled broadly as he
replied:
''Emphatically, no: I'm not radi-
cal. In fact. l am anything but one.
/ have been president of this organi-
sation for four years. and I think my
administration scarcely justiies such
charge" ,E,ls, ~. TO-. ~"
eral. suggested. Again he smiled;
laughed. rather. as he said
II presume that idea is the result of
strike of 1919. We won. il you recall
No. l am anything but q radical. in
the sense you imply. l believe in fight
ing for and with the Government. not
against 1t.
One of the most interesting state
ments made by the strike leader had to
do with the inception Of the present
trouble.
III this strike had not been de-
elared in accordance with the strike
vote Of our members. there would have
been disorders. fights and destruction
of property he asserted with en-
phasis.
"You mean the men would have re.
sented any attempt toward calling II
oh?" I suggested.
Not that" he replied. 1--WE ad.
dressed letter on the subject Of
!rik( BY our men to the Railroad
Labor Board on 5une II last. On June
~ again addressed the board ad.
yising them that in compliance with
Sne vote Of the six shop crafts In the
United States, sanction had been
granted to suspend work at 10 A. NJ,
Saturday. July 1.
Hearing Held Too Late
The board Immediately notified ma
that they had summoned the railroad
executives and railway employees to an
pear for a hearing on the points raised
on Friday. June 80, the day before
Sns vs date set for cessation for work.
why they waited till that last day /
nave never discovered" he added.
We did not respond to that notif-
cation Of the board for this reason
Ihere are something like 1900 local
lodges of our craftsmen. The strike
order had been issued for Saturday.
Suiy l. the day following that ap-
pointed by the board for its hearing.
II We had attended that meeting It
would have been physically impossible
!1I g! US In the few hours left to reach
the United States.
we would have been compelled TO
cepsnd solely on newspaper headlines
20 disseminate the fact over the country
mat the order for a cessation Of work
heads OF the shop crafts were still dis.
cussing the situation.
Our men, in the absence of Official