Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-07-06

| of the national outposts revolver in
| hand. machine gun opened on him
and wounded him in the leg. Brugha
was then captured.
|
SHOPMEN WILLING
I Continued from Page One)
three seperate ballots, the first on &C
cepting a $50,OOO,OO0 reduction in
wages ordered by the labor board,
ing rules altered by the board, and
the third on the adjustment Of out
side contracting by the roads.
The tabulation showed only g4.7
per cent. of the men had voted to
strike on the question of wages, the
| heaviest vote for a strike being on
! the question of outside contract labor
which polled 81 per cent. of the
vote. cast. The ballot of rules came
second with 96.2 for strike. Union
leaders said that the vote displayed
the relative importance attached to
the three points at issue by their
membership.
/ In railroad circles it was declared
that the way already had been
cleared for a full settlement of the
gravest isSue-that of contract work
by the agreement of l. roads to
abolish outside contracting, at the
labor board meeting last Friday.
when Mr.. Jewell ignored an order
to appear and explain his strike Or
der.
| The first explanation of the Incl
! dent was made by Mr.. Jewell, to-
night when he said that to have APP
| peared before the labor board Fri
day would have resulted in a mob
like suspension of work by the shop
men and possible bloodshed" He
said that the strike order already
having gone out and suspension of
work Saturday morning at 10 A. NJ.
having been sanctioned by locals in
all parts of the country. to have
made an eleventh hour attempt to
avert a walkout would have resulted
only in chaos.
Mr.. Jewell said that the interven-
ton of the board had come too late
and that the only way to prevent dis
I orders was for him virtually to defy
the board and thus let the rank and
file of the six shop crafts organiza =
ers had their hands on the brakes
and were in full control of the situa :
ton. He said that so far he had re-
ceiVed no overtures looking toward
a settlement and had made none. He
added that the strike vote was the
most representative ever taken but
did not name total figures.
Mr.. Hooper in his letter to Mr..
Jewell early in the day denied the
latter's charge that the labor board
was unfriendly to the employees or
| that it had "outlawed" the strikers
1T has only accepted your own state
ment that the striking men are not
! the employees of the carriers" the
letter said. 1T has not, however,
used the rasping word outlaw at
any time.
After citing numerous instances in
which the board has upheld collac-
tive bargaining and ruled in favor Of
| the unions, the letter adds:
| Il am yet hopeful that your or
| ganzation will recover their equilib-
rum and discern that it is better for
them to go along with the railroad
labor board, patiently when it makes
mistakes, but confidently at all times
that it profoundly desires to do JUS
| tice to the men, the roads and The
public without fear, favor or affec-
ton"
Mr.. Jewell declared hat this
statement was in the nature of an
explanation of labor's side of the sit
uation and that he was not receding
from any of the original demands
made, upon the roads. G state
ment was interpreted in railway
quarters however, as clearing the
way to a settlement by negotiation
the previous understanding being
that Mr.. Jewell would refuse to deal
with the labor board and would in
sist on negotiations direct with the
roads.
A settlement along these lines
however, was UldCe QlI1lCulC DeCd use
Of the roads insstence that they
had no part in the dispute, declaring
it was entirely matter between the
government and the strikers, as the
walk out was directed against a de-
cision of the board.
Labor leaders, members of tie la
Dor board and railway executives
united tonight in the expression OF
hope that settlement was now in
sight. declaring that the most serious
obstacles in the way of peaceful
agreement alre " had been cleared
away.
With the W, rking rules as practi-
cally the only obstacle to peace. the
opinion was expre.acc on all sides
that this issue would be disposed of
once conferences were under way.
Meanwhile the fifth day of the
walkout passed in comp rative quiet.
although several clashes were report
ed from widely separated sections of
the country. Pathways at many
points began employing new men to
take the places of the strikers, while