Evening star., 1922-08-03
Text of Strike Leaders, Note
Accepting Presidents Terms
By the Assoc lated Press.

By the Associated Press.
CHICAGO. August 3.-Fun accept
ance. Of the peace proposals submitted
by President Harding was voted last
night by leaders Of the striking rail-
way shopmen. who. however, gave
their own Interpretation of each Of
the three suggestions.
Text OF Message.
A message advising the President
Of their acceptance read as follows:
THE representatives of the en-
ton to support every proper effort
on the part of the government to
bring about or to preserve the un-
interrupted operation of the trans
portation industry. The stubborn re-
fusal OF the railway executives to
contemplated by law. in order to set
tie efficiently disputes over rules and
working conditions between the car
riers and their employees, the con-
tinued refusal of railways, represent
ing over quarter of the mileage Of
class ! railroads, to comply with the
decisions of the Railroad Labor Board
against the practice Of contracting
out work and shops; the persistent
campaign to deny to the railway en-
ployes Just and reasonable wages, to
impose upon them unfair working
conditions and to disintegrate their
organizations: all in cumulative effect
rendered service by railway employees
under the terms and conditions to
be effective July l. 1922. intolerable
to over 95 per cent of these employees.
who. therefore. voted to suspend
work.
Would Return to Work.
. i
to work. temporarily accepting wages
and working conditions which they
feel to be unjust. with reliance upon
the following program for redress of
grievances:
First railway managers and work
validity Of all decisions of the Rail-
road Labor Board and to faithfully
carry out such decisions as contem-
plated by law
The employees have always taken
the position that as long as they
should abide by the rules and work
ing conditions and accept the wages
agreed upon by proper negotiation, or
determined by the Labor Board after
a hearing of dispute upon any Of
these matters. They respectfully
and refusals to comply with decisions
Of the Labor Board have been ex-
hibited only by the railway manage
ments and that it has been uni
versally admitted that the employees,
in exercising their right to suspend
tions. were neither violating the law
nor the decisions Of the board"
Cite Pennsy Case.
1--WE understand that the recogni-
ton of the validity of all decisions
h,r
templated by the law-means. for ex-
ample. that in the case of the Penn
sylvania railroad all employees will
return to work under the wages and
working conditions established in the
decisions of the Labor Board and that
the sole question of validity pend
ing is the authority of the Labor
Board to determine, as in decision
No. 21S. the method of selecting ac-
credited representatives of the en-
ployes, assuming that the railroad
has appealed from the decision of the
United States circuit court of appeals,
which sustained the action OF the
Labor Board
" Second, the carriers will withdraw
all law suits growing out of the strike
and the Railroad Labor Board decisions
which have been involved in the strike
may be taken. in the exercise of
recognized rights by either party. to
the Railroad Labor Board hearing.
Expect Prompt RehearfnE.
''ft is our understanding that the
representatives of the employees upon
seeking a rehearing of the controverted
decisions concerning wages and work.
ing conditions, will be afforded a
prompt rehearing and decision by the
labor board. We assume also that the
practically unanimous action of the en-
ployes in electing to suspend work
a nd in ont tptri hi
the sanction of. and in accordance with,
laws of their national organizations, has
ended any captious questioning as to
who are the properly accredited spokes-
men OF the vast majority OF railway en-
ployes. We desire to call attention to
the orderly and disciplined conduct of
these employees under difficult condi-
tions. which has demonstrated the in
dispensible value of their national or
ganizations in aid of the effective ad-
justment of controversies and the
efficient conduct of the industry.
Third. all employees now on strike
to be returned to work and to their
former positions with seniority and
other rights unimpaired. The repre-
sentatives of the carriers and of the
organizations especially agree that
there will be no discrimination by either
party against the employees who did or
did not strike
Injustice to End Seniority.
we are glad to observe that the
obvious justice of this proposition has
been accepted. 1t would certainly be
wholesale injustice of unparalleled
extent If hundreds of thousands of
experienced men who have given four
to forty years service. and whose
value to the transportation industry
is proportioned to the length of their
service, should be placed in a position
of inferiority to limited number of
men who have been employed as sub
stitutes for these experienced railroad
workers. The demand that such a