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Show DRAMATIC SCENE IN WASHINGTON Garretson Overcome With Emotion When Called On to Explain His Power. Washington, Aug. 31. Representatives Representa-tives of the railroads, of the trainmen's train-men's brotherhoods and of shippers' organizations argued for nine hours today before the senate interstate commerce committee on legislation proposed to avert the threatened strike, recompense the roads for any added financial burden, and to make impossible in the future another crisis like the present Tonight tho committee worked until late on a bill to bo presented to the senate tomorrow. tomor-row. In the estimation of all affected parlies, congress alone can prevent a strike, and the public eventually will foot the bill for an eight-hour day with ten hours' pay, which the trainmen demand. Railroad executives execu-tives and shippers insisted that the strike order should be postponed, but the four brotherhood chiefs insisted it could not be. A dramatic scene, in which A. a. Garretson, spokesman for the trainmen train-men and president of tho Order of Railway Conductors, was the central figure, brought the hearing to a climax cli-max tonight Members of the committee at different dif-ferent times had asked the brotherhood brother-hood heads if they were powerless to stop the strike by reporting a satisfactory satis-factory settlement to the men. The question Invariably was evaded, the replies being that Mr. Garretson would explain the situation before the hearing closed. When Mr. Garretson had only three minutes left In which to speak, his brother presidents urged him to answer an-swer the question of power to postpone post-pone a strike, "We have been asked," he said slowly, "If we have the power to defer this strike. It has been called for next Monday. I have the power to defer that date In my organization, but in the other organizations the situation is different. The heads of the other brotherhoods cannot call back the strike order. "But here is where I stand. For years my men have trusted me. When I stood before the president tho other night and he asked me if this could be done, I found my Gethsemane. To the men who have made me the recipient re-cipient of all these things, I owe my first obligation. I can put it off, but If I did without gaining a satisfactory settlement, there would linger in the minds of those who have trusted me thoughts of treachery. If I put it off, across a fair record of thirty years would be written the word 'traitor.' ' For a moment the speaker paused and seemed to peer far out over the heads of the crowd. The tears came into his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. He started to speak, but choked. Apparently summoning all his strength, he threw out his arms, lowered his eyes to the crowd, and In a low voice asked, "Can I face it?" and dropped Into his chair. Not a person In the room moved for several seconds. Mr. Garretson relieved the situation by leaving the chamber. oo |
