New-York tribune., 1922-08-26

| new, and Piers as and IL East River,
old; piers at Third Street, Fifth Street
and East Twenty-fourth Street and
Pier 7, Tompkinsville.
the present controversy cannot be set
| tied by that method"
| The mediators, headed by Warren s.
Stone, chief of the engineers, at the
| conclusion of the conference wrote let
| ters to Mr.. Willard and Mr.. Jewell,
which, after outlining the steps Of the
various negotiations, said:
Conferences with committee con-
| ssting of six railroad presidents rep
| resenting this group were held on the
evening of the 23d, also two confer
ences on the oath and again this morn
ing, without avail. While the confer
ences with both sides were most pleas
ant, we found we could not present a
recommendation acceptable to both, be-
| cause both parties insisted throughout
| that their respective contentious were
| based on principles which could not be
set aside and which must be observed
at all cost. We reluctantly notify all
] concerned that we consider further ef-
| forts futile, and with much regret an
| nounce we have nothing more to sug-
gest."
Harding Is Notified
| The mediators sent copies of the let
ter to President Harding and Thomas
De Witt Cuyler, chairman of the Asso-
citation of Railway Executives.
| Mr.. Jewell issued sharp attack on
the roads. 1t read as follows:
"The conferences have shown that the
group of roads which have been con-
| ferring will at present make no con-
cesai ons. They stand firm. on Che po-
| sition of the Association Of Railway
Executives. which refuses seniority
| rights - l-,a..e-@. =.
This refusal of seniority rights to
union men. it is now clear, is not for
the purpose of keeping promises to
strikebreakers, but solely for. the pur-
| pose ofrdisciplining the men for legal
and justified strike. This is a position
which the men cannot compromise.
TO go back to work under such
terms would mean defeat, when, as a
matter of fact, we are victorious. The
| break down Of equipment and the short
age of cars and locomotives are now
shown by government statistics. 1t will
be obvious to every shipper and farm er
during the next few weeks. We shall
| be content to let the condition Of eouip-
ment prove that the railroads cannot
operate their shops with unskilled
strike breakers and bring the execu-
tlves to more reasonable frame of
mind.
"We do not blame the more reason
able executives who have evidently
| yielded to pressure. We believe that
the next few weeks will enable them to
bring home to their hard shelled COL
leagues the entire railroad situation in
Its grim realities.
Fight "for Minimum Termss
1--WE can and will fight for our mini
mum terms and for a nation wide set
tlement as long as the managements
can ana Will fight. In behalf of the
puDllc interests we have offered to com
promise on everything but our exist
ence' NOW that we are compelled to
Inght, however, our victory will bring
| with it victory on all the issues for
which the strike was called"
Tne shopcrafts leaders also issued
| statement in which they explained
then, grounds for refusing to accept
the latest proposal of the minority
said, would destroy the effectiveness
OF the strike and they. would consider
1T desertion of the men employed on
| the other roads.
Their statement, with the final
orders to the strikers to hold out to
the last, reads in part as follows:
10 accept or submit for acceptance
| the present proposal that carries no
visible guaranty Or assurance of pro-
lection of the rights or standing of
the men as railroad employees held
py phem prior to strike and earned
| by years of continuous and efficient
service, would mean that we ask the
men on less than one-third of the
/ roads affected to return to work. Weld
! ing TO every demand of railroad man
agement, receiving only such standing
as employees as might be granted bv
managements after their return ar Ia
ter determined by the commission nro-
vided for in the proposal, and that the
! employees of less than one-third If
tne mileage now involved returning to
work under such conditions would
leave the remaining employees of more
.nan swo-thirds of the mileage out of
to work would in that measure destrnS
the effectiveness of the strike as ~
To-Day. Even on the roads represent
"a, the proposal does not contemplata
1 me return to work of all men on stripe
~ ~ onl1 includes those who come undar
the heading of shop crafts. wb;Ia i
rs known and agreed that manv man
otner than those coming under tbis
assignatlon are at present on strike.
Roads Called Arbitrary
There is no intent on our part to
aaession the integrity of the offie;ais
OF the roads now conferrinp NY - =
must be obvious to all that deSn;ta
&ctlon can be taken only on mattars
clearly defined in any proposai @ - ,s..s mssa
our iirst concern must be the ;ntaaast I
| OF al the men involved. we, the ren' :
resentatiyes of the men on strike, cap-
not ec.on,mend to the men the accent.
aace OF this proposal without delibsr-
ateiy sacrthclng the interests of tha
men involved. We fully appreciate ths M
neip, interest and efforts Of the trans
tha;sa ppala.lon organization executives in