The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-08-03
ROADS Reject
HARDING PLAN
Refuse to Settle Strike on
Presidents Proposal
BALK ON SENIORITY RIGHTS
Executives conditionaliy Accept Raj
Beard Wage Decisions and With
drawai of Law Suits Resulting From
Strike.


drawai of Law Suits Resulting From
Strike.
New York. Aug --.,ailyway eXecu
tiveS rejected the proposal OF fres'
dent Harding that striking Shollilti
be reinSlated without forfei!mg $enl
ority riYhtS. but accepted c"nditl0hiti!!
the other TWO suggestions made by Tue
White House for settlement OF tilt
uatian-Wide strike.
This announcement was lnade DA
Pres! ,ient Loree, of the Delaware il(
Hudson, after the heads OF us ROAD:
had met here, considered Harding
program, drafted reply and adjourn
ed
The vote of railroad executives tt
reject the program outlined by Hard
ing first was announced as unanimous
This later was corrected to 261 To
Ioree chairman of the eastern con
ference, explaining he had cast tWt
votes against the reply sent the Nhlts
House because he did not think the
executives had taken Il strong enough
stand against the seniority proposal.
Loree. who voted for the Delaware
and Hudson and Kansas City South
en-. added that he was quite in sym
pathy with his fellow-eXecutlVes Il:
far as they had gone.
The reply TO President Harding wa,
nur on the wire TO the White HOUSE
as soon us it had been drawn w Dl
= b-committee headed by Robert =
Lovett. of the Union Pacific. and ap
proved by the general conference.
The proposals conditionally accepted
were that the wage decisions RENDERED
by the railroad labor board should b'
accepted by all and that lawsuits re
sulting from the strike should be
withdrawn by both sides for settle
ment by the board.
The railroad heads baked on The
seniority question after SecretarA
Hoover. appearing before them as the
representative of President Harding
mad told them the administration con
sidered that the issue of the authority
of the railroad labor board far tran
scended that of seniority.
Referring TO the coal strike as 1
complicating factor in the rail situa
ton, Hoover implied that if conditions
were different, the administration
would not have taken the point o1
view if had assumed, and urged the
roads to cooperate with the govern
ment in upholding the labor board.
Hoover was followed later by judge
Love:t. who asserted iatly that there
was no maral or practical reason foi
the roads to alter their stand.
Hoover indicated to the executive:
that while HE administration did noj
intend 10 Geiittle the importance they
attached t. seniority, it considered the
major issue the upholdins of the labor
board and The return of the men t.
work.
A summary of the repl, made by
railroad executives to President Hard
ing, rejecting his basis for settlement
of the rail strike, was made pubic
by an authorized spokesman for The
conference.
Replying to the first proposal, the
road heads informed the White House
that they did and would abide by wage
decisions of the railroad labor board
but that they did not consider that te
test the legality of such decisions was
to violate them.
Turning to the second proposal, the
executives said they were willing tt
withdraw lawsuits arising from the
strike, providing conditions were es
tablished so that they could be as
sured of carrying on their operation:
without legal protection.
Impossible" said the executives o.
the third proposition, to put strikers
back on their jobs with their seniority
ranking unaffected. Impossible" fol
four reasons, added the reply.
Impossible. first, from a point OF
law impossible, second, from point
of morality: impossible, also, because
of word. pledged to old employees thai
they would be repaid for their loyalty
impossible. in the last place, because
of promises made to new employees
who the roads believed had helped tC
uphold the labor board.
The executives, it was said, felt the!
could not yield on the seniority ISSUE
because the heart of The whole prob
lem of railroad operation lay in the
efficiency and morale of the superyiS
DRY forces. The supervisors, it was
added, would feel hurt and discouraged
if the strikers were reinStated witt