The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-07-17
Firemen and Oilers Join Shop
men in WaIkOut Today.
Maintenance of Way Men Are
Ready to Quit on Early Notice.
MAILS ARE BEING MPEDEB
Vice President of Maintenance
Union Says Action Coming.
Men Should Have Waited for
Strike Order, He Says.
CBy the Associated Press.l

Washington, July ia spectre
program designed to bring an end to
the coal and rail strikes is understood
to have been discussed today at the
| White House conference between
President Harding and Governor
Sproul. Senator Pepper and Attorney
General Alter of Pennsylvania. No
announcement, however. was forth
coming as to the nature of the pro-
posaIs said to be under consideration
by the president
Washington, July 17.-Superinten-
dent of the Railway Mail Service
Brauer, at Chicago, notified Postmas-
ter Work today that Chicago, Burhns-
ton & Quincy train No. 81, left the
track yesterday at Lovilia. Monroe
county, Iowa, and that striking coal
miners and shopmen's sympathizers
had persistentIy refused to permit
wrecking crews to clear the tracks.
Drive All Relief Away.
Passengers, trains and wreclking g
crews have been driven away from the
train he added, and the track has been
bIockaded thus delaying the move
ment of mail.
Superintendent Brauer said he had
notified the postoffice inspectors at
st. Louis and was attempting to COM
municate with the departments rep
resentatives in Des Moines with a view
to relieving the situation. Burlington
rail officials, he said, reported to him
that the attitude of the local author
tiles was ''lukewarm" he suggested
the United States marshal at Des
Moines be instructed from Washing
ton as to what action he should take.
(By the Associated PressJ
Detroit, July 17.-Members of the
maintenance of way union who en-
gagged in an unauthorized strike will
not be expelled from the union Tor
the moment" but brotherhood organ
izers will be sent to interview the
strikers and attempt to persuade them
to remain at work pending final de-
cision as to a national strike, E. +.
Cradle, president of the United
Rrotherhood of Maintenance of way
employees and railway snop laborers,
said here this morning.
(By the Associated Pressl
Chicago. July 17.-Seventy new
shop employees of the Chicago. Mil
waukee & st. Paul railroad and seven
city policemen were suffering today
from poisoning as a result of eating
food served to railway strikebreakers-
These men were stricken during the
last three days, ten of them yester-
day. A score of health department
workers were assigned to rigidly in
spect all food served to workers in
Chicago yards to prevent recurrence
of the trouble. The policemen stated
that they had eaten lunch in dining
cars provided by the railroad
c. s. Christopher, superintendent OF
terminals of the railway company, is
sued the following statement today:
All Are Trusted Employees.
':Our men are fed in dining cars in
charge of regular crews, which have
been taken off our train staffs. and
the food is the best obtainable. 1t is
the same as served on our diners
Men who have been employed IN
the commisSary, distribution and
service departments for as long as
twenty years have charge of the cars
here and every one of them is a trust
ed employe.
I'VE cannot imagine how the food
could have been adulterated.
I'VE fed 800 men on the day the
first reports of the illness came in
Forty of them complained and we i'm
mediately started an investigation"
Peace Plans at StandstilI.
Peace negotiations in the railway
(Cortinued on Page ThreeI