Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-07-12

IS PERMANENT
Against Railroad Employees
Dept. of A. F. of L. Final
Decree is Field

CHICAGO, July IL (By The Asso-
ciated Press)-A final decree max
ing permanent the temporary in
junction obtained by the United
States government in federal court
here October S, 1922, against the
railway employees department OF
the American Federation of Labor
its officers and others, restraining
them from interfering in any man.
ner with the operation of railroads
during the nationwide shopmen's
strike, was entered today by Judge
James H. Wilkerson of the United
States District Court.
The decree making permanent
Injunction, which is considered the
most widespread restraining order
ever obtained, affects approximately
100000 railroad employees and Of
ficers of the shop crafts concerned
in the strike. The injunction was
applied for by Harry M. Daugherty,
United States Attorney General, on
September 1, 1922, two months
after the inception of the strike.
Theoretically, the strike still is in
effect. The shop men left their
posts on July 1, 1922, when the U.
S. Railroad Labor Board ordred a
cut in their wages, effective on that
date.
The strike continued actively for
more than two months, during
which, according to evidence intro
duced by the government, wide
spread assault and intimidation Of
men who had taken places of strik-
ing shopmen occurred. In some
instances troops were called out
and in others special guards were
hired by the railroads.
The men returned to work in
September on the basis of what was
known as the Baltimore agreement,
which was entered into by 81
major railroads. The agreement
left the question of seniority, which
was the main bone of contention
after month of the strike, to a
commission to decide. The shopmen
accepted the wage reduction order
ed by the Labor Board.
The railway employees depart
ment of the American Federation of
Labor as a body is now restrained
permanently from interfering with
the operations of the nations car
riers, as is Bert M. Jewel, President
of the Department: j. F. McGrath,
vice. president, and John Scott, Sec
retary and treasurer. and numerous
other system federations and the
presidents and secretaries thereof.
Approximately $500 instances of
various kinds of assaults and 10
deaths due to alleged violence on
the part of striking shopmen and
about 65 cases of kidnapping and
other assaults were cited in the
governments testimony.
II making the Injunction perma-
nent Judge Wilkerson said in part 4:
1T seems almost incredible that
warfare of the kind disclosed by the
voluminous records in rhis case
should have been waged in this
country. 1t is even more ominous
that this unlawful assault upon the
commerce of the nation should have
found apologists and defendants. in
cluding some (happily few, how
ever) of those charged with the
duty Of protesting property and en-
forcing the law"
This strike was more than a con-
troversy between employer and en-
ploye It's manifest purpose, as
shown by the evidence, was to Grip
pie and destroy interstate commerce,
and to create by this assault, a pub
lie opinion hostile to the decision of
the board. The primary purpose of
the combination therefore is unlaw-
full. and it may not be carried out
by means that otherwise would be
legal"
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