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Show " NATIONAL CHIEFS DISCUSSING PLANS FOR STRIKE WHICH - MAY BE CALLED SATURDAY 'OB- lit I Three Hundred Chairmen of Brotherhoods in Consultation Con-sultation in New York City Railroad Mana- gers Still Contend Hands Are Tied, " Pending Court Decision. . CHICAGO. March 14. Certain east-j L orn railroads today notified shippers C ;ui( western lines of embargoes due 1 to the threat of a strike of the brother. 1 hoods next Saturday The Bis Four I notified other lines of such an embargo. em-bargo. The New York Central and I the Baltimore & Ohio were reported to have notified shippers that freight would not he accepted after midnight tonight except at owner's risk. NEW STORK, March 14 While the national chiefs of the four railroad employes' brotherhoods were discussing discuss-ing with the eastern brotherhood's of-1 ficials here today the plans for the threatened nation-wide railroad strike! which may begin Saturday, representa- tives of the railway managers made public what they declared was a prom- ise not to strike, made by the brotherhood broth-erhood heads in secret meeting in Chicago Chi-cago January 13. They quoted from the text of the statement a passage HRvine no "radical action would he (taken until the decision of the supreme court has been handed down in connection con-nection with the eight-hour law." W. G. Lee, president of the Broth-kfe Broth-kfe - rhood of K ulni, 1 Trainmen, was V asked about this statement after the W brotherhood's meeting had recessed with an announcement that no action had been takn at the forenoon session, ses-sion, but that the meeting would be ' resumed this afternoon. Mr Lee said he would not discuss anybody's inter preatlon of the Chicago statement. "It was right then and it Is right now," he declared, "and I am not going to say anything about it." He was asked if the present conference con-ference looking toward a strike might not be considered a violation of the Chicago statement. 'We never said we were just going I It to sit still and do nothing Indefinitely," I he replied. "Our position has been to I wait a reasonable time, and who is to1 I be the judge of what a reasonable ) time is? We have already been very I i rerely criticised by our men for do-! j ing nothing." NEW YORK, March 14. Strict secrecy se-crecy was thrown about the meeting 1 i re today between the national chiefs of the brotherhoods of railroad employes em-ployes and eastern brotherhoods ofllc-alf. ofllc-alf. iala to discuss plans for the strike IT which may bo called Saturday if the chiefs at the conference with the rail- j road managers hero tomorrow fall to attain the desired results. The brotherhood heads arrived here today from Washington and went to a meeting hall where were assembled 800 of tho chairmen of the brotherhoods brother-hoods of trainmen on lines entering New York and Chairmen of the locals of the four organizations. Announce, ment was made that, if any statement Was made as to the action taKen. it j would be given out tonight Managers Contend Hands Tied. Representatives of the railroad managers man-agers said today they were still without with-out information as to the nature of the proposition which the brotherhood1 chlel would submit to them and reiterated reit-erated their contention that their hands were tied until the supreme court renders a decision ou the constitutionality con-stitutionality of the Adamson act. The brotherhood chairmen after hearing from tho chiefs a statement of tho questions at issue with tho man. agers were to be asked, it was understood, un-derstood, to ratify their proposition and the calling of a strike in case the managers refused it. The chairmen chair-men were afterward to discuss the Wm carrying out of detniled instructions. General Instructions Issued. General Instructions, it was learned, were issued some time ago to tho local lo-cal chairmen as to their duties in case of strike. They were informed they would be expected jointly to supervise su-pervise the prosecution of the strike in the territory over which they have jurisdiction, keep in close touch with the situation, "use every honorable effort to further the cause," and make daily reports to their general chairman as to conditions. While the chairmen were holding their meeting the National conference committee of tho railroads was called together preparatory to the Joint session ses-sion with tho chiefs tomorrow. Complete Compliance Demand. While professing not to know what the brotherhood chiefs would demand, railroad representatives said, just before be-fore the national conference went into session, that they would not be sur-pV sur-pV prised if they demanded that the pro. M visions of tho Adamson law be put x mio immediate operation together with n provision for time and a half for overtime, or in substance complete compliance with the original demands which began the controversy a year ago The committee of eight railroad president's headed by Hale Holden, president of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad, that conferred with President Wilson at tho White House when the Adamson act was passed by congress, were in the city today keep, ing in close touch with the situation situa-tion A circular alleged to have been sent to the 400,000 members of the broth-hoods broth-hoods from the Cleveland headquarters headquar-ters In the past week and signed by W. S Carter, president of the Brotherhood Broth-erhood of Ixeomotive Firemen and Enginemen was made public today by the railroad managers It was headed head-ed "Compulsory arbitration bulletin No 2." and in part said. Suggest Government Question. "If there is a sincere public demand that the railroad employes shall not strike for the eight-hour day, then let the railroad employes shall not strike for the eight-hour day, then let the federal government operate the railways rail-ways and assume responsibility for I the wages and working operations of the employ es " Strike orders to take effect first in the cast on Saturday night already ' have been issued and the organized 1 employes await directions to be Issued here after Thursday conference. The j managers' committee, which is hand- J ling the situation for the railroads. , will meet tonight. There is no expectation on the part of railroad leaders here that Presi- , dent Wilson will make any action prior to an announcement of the re- i cnllc J ThircHi''c inontinr fi I ' . head of the trainmen's orr tion, declared that he and his associates asso-ciates would ge before the railroad representatives with their entire membership mem-bership united behind their demands. Attack on Loyalty Denounced A statement Issued by the chiefs of the railroads brotherhoods before leaving leav-ing Washington last night denounced as absurd "all insinuations to the effect ef-fect that transportation employes are not loyal citizens because of their attempt at this time to secure from i heir employ ers the benefits contem-plated contem-plated by the law," and said that the railroad men had given to President Wilson assurance of their willingness and intention to support the country should war be declared "Seemingly it has been the pur pose Hi i lo railroad companies." said th tatement, "to postpone settlement of this Question until either a panic or war should defeat our demands." no |