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Show Hold Bill Will Not Stand Test g Holes Picked In Adamson Measure Counsel for Railroads Advise Managers Eight-Hour Proposal Pro-posal Will Be Unconstitutional. Unconsti-tutional. Chicago, Sept 1. Counsel for the various railroads are said to have informed the presidents of the railroads rail-roads that the Adamson bill is pat-entedly pat-entedly unconstitutional as being confiscatory con-fiscatory and class legislation. E. P. Ripley, president of the Atchison, Atch-ison, Topeka & Santa Fe railway, said that the passage of the bill would merely postpone the strike. "Our lawyers," said Mr. Ripley, "informally and individually have expressed ex-pressed the opinion that the Adamson Adam-son bill, If passed, will crumble at the first legal blast. If the bill passes, the president and counsel will confer formally as to legal procedure. It Is illogical to assume that the railroads will abandon their principles merely because they are attacked through congress Instead of directly by the brotherhoods." R. H. Aishton, president of the Chicago Chi-cago and Northwestern, said that the railways would obey the law. "But," he added, "it seems certain to us that the Adamson bill, if passed, will not stand the test of the courts." A statement was issued at publicity publici-ty headquarters of the railroads that preparations for a strike next Monday Mon-day wero proceeding without regard to prospects of congressional action. Officials of the four railroad brotherhoods broth-erhoods began massing their forces here today to direct the strike on twenty-five roads operating out of Chicago in tho event the strike goes into effect, W. B. Henrlchs, superintendent of terminals of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul railroad, announced today to-day that the Order of Railway Conductors Con-ductors on the section of that system between Chicago and the Missouri river had voted not to strike. Full Text of Statement. The text of the railroads' statement says: "The managements of the railways are disregarding reports from Washington Wash-ington regarding the possibility of tho strike being prevented and are proceeding exactly as they would if they were certain that It was going to occur on a scheduled time at 7 o'clock on the morning of Sept. 4. "It will be recalled that for about eight months the railroad managements manage-ments have been warning the government govern-ment and the people of the United States that the danger of a nationwide nation-wide strike was real and serious. On the other band, some assurances have throughout this time been given by officers of the United States government govern-ment and even by spokesmen of the labor brotherhoods. The public now knows that the railways were right In saying that the danger was real and serious and that the spokesmen of the government who attempted to minimize the gravity of the situation wore wrong. Playing a Desperate Game. "The leaders of the railway brotherhoods broth-erhoods are playing a desperate game, and as they say now that they will not recall their strike order until they wring from congress the legis-latlonthey legis-latlonthey demand, for anybody to act on the assumption that there will be no strike would be foolish and might prove to be extremely unfortunate. "The orders which the managements of the railways have issued, placing embargoes on the shipment of the most kinds of freight and directing that other kinds of freight shall be accepted subject to delay, are rapidly rapid-ly going into effect and shippers,, Brotherhoods in Chicago Mass Forces to be in Readiness to Go Out If Strike Is Ordered. consignees and the public are beginning begin-ning to feel the result of the strike without it having actually occurred. "It should be fully recognized, however, how-ever, that the railways in taking these steps are not merely protecting their own Interests but that in a larger measure they are protecting the Interests of the public and that if they are causing Inconvenience and to us and the public they are causing greater proportionate loss and incon-vienco incon-vienco to themselves. "If the strike occurs It will be much better for all concerned for goods, which in the absence of embargoes would be shipped, to be left In the hands of their owners where they can properly care for them, than for them to be in the hands of the railways, rail-ways, which probably could not properly prop-erly care for them. (Want People to Stay at Home. "It Is to be hoped that travelers as well as shippers wil lact on the warning warn-ing of the railways and not start upon up-on journeys which cannot bo finished before the strike order goes into effect ef-fect "The railways believe that in standing stand-ing out for arbitration, oven at the cost of a strike, they have been trying try-ing to protect not only their own interests, in-terests, but those of the public. "In view of the expressions of the press, of commercial organizations and of many thousands of individuals individu-als throughout the United States, the railways are confirmed in tho belief that tho public wanted them to stand (Continued on page 7.) oo HOLD BILL WILL NOT STAND TEST (Continued from Page 1.) firm and they believe they would violate their duty to all concerned by adopting any other course." It will be the policy of the railways, rail-ways, the statement continues, togive the public all information concerning the situation, which will not embar-ras embar-ras them in handling the strike, should it occm "It is clearly to the Interest of the public that If a strike comes the railways rail-ways shall be able to maintain a considerable con-siderable part of their service from the start and that they shall be able steadily and rapidly to increase it. I "How much service they will be able to maintain and how rapidly they will be able to increase it, will necessarily depend upon the protection protec-tion given their employes and property prop-erty by the authorities. It is to be hoped while the railroads are putting forth every effort to deal with the food siuation and especially those of the municipalities, they will also be making ample preparations to protect railway employes and -property from every form of Interference and violence." viol-ence." nn |
