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Show WILSON TO OPERATE RAILROADS I PRESIDENT CALLS I A CABINET MEETING I Government Planning to Take Possession of the H Transportation Lines the Moment the Strike I Takes Effect Officials at Washington H Prepared to Move With Vigor. I WASHINGTON, March 1 5. Word was received by the National Conference Committee of Railways this afternoon that President .Wilson had called the cabinet meeting to get advice on the question of running the railroads on the basis of military necessity. I WASHINGTON, March 1 6. President Wilson will de- I 1 cide today whether to take any steps which might bring about a settlement of the threatened nation-wide railroad strike. Although Al-though some of the information which has reached him has I indicated that an appeal on the grounds of patriotism would be useless, he is known to be seriously considering such a i move. I The president did not plan to hold the usual Friday : cabinet meeting but gave most of his time this morning to con- j sideration of the railway situation. WASHINGTON. March 16. Consld eration was given by administration officials to possible drastic steps which might be taken to force the operation op-eration of the railroads in case the strike actually comes. One means suggested sug-gested was for the government to ask j for receiverships, if necessary, for the roads, and undertake their operation. The discussion was entirely tentative, however. WASHINGTON. March 16. Presi-dent Presi-dent Wilson is expected to make his ' first move to prevent the threatened railway strike after today's cabinet1 j meeting. The president had cancelled a reg. ular cabinet meeting when he got .reports from the conferences in New! York and then he suddenly summoned the members for this afternoon. A general impression preails in of I flclal circles that the president, before be-fore going further, will appeal to both railroads and men not to plunge tho country into a railway strike at this critical juncture of international i affairs. Further than that the president s purpose has not been openly disclos- I ed. It is known that an element in the cabinet regarded as favoring the labor side of the controversy Is (pressing to let the situation come to a strike, if the railways do not yield, on the assumption that the strike will be successful. Another element, re garding a strike at this time as a I national calamity, almost an unpatriotic unpa-triotic act. is pressing more vigorously vigor-ously to prevent it. May Take Over Roads. i Some of the president's advisors hold the view that he has full constitutional con-stitutional authority to take the railroads rail-roads and draft ofilcials and men to ' operate them on the ground of a na- j tional emergency. Some of the president's advisors pointed out today that while he favored favor-ed the contentions ui the men In the' controversy last fall, that was purely a matter between the roads and the men. Tho situation now, they say. I concerns the government vitally and 1 that in such a situation the president regards the government's interests aa overshadowing all others. NEW YORK. March 16. Both sides' in the threatened railroad strike con-iroveivy con-iroveivy expiv.sed a willincness today to hold further joint conferences, although al-though the situation this morning was devoid of any suggestion that a compromise com-promise would be reached which would avert a nation wide transportation tie-1 up. Indications were unofficially that1 both the railroad manager and the brotherhood chiefs were marking time pending any possible action by President Presi-dent Wilson and with each group pre- t pared to respond io overtures irum mo other side. Reports from Kansas City and other point- in the west that some of the employes were unwilling to obey a strike call were met bv a statemenl b W. G. Lee. president of the Brotherhood Broth-erhood of Railroad Trainmen, that tho leaders expected at least one in twelve to refuse to strike. "Don't forget history says our savior: found one Judas among the twelve he selected," Mr. Lee said. "We therefore there-fore do not hope to beat his record and we look for at least one in twelve. The only way to determine whether our men arc in earnest is to count noses Sunday and thereafter. 'Don't forget that we left the entire matter to President Wilson last August Au-gust and agreed to abide by his proposal pro-posal then. The railroads refused to settle the question. I have since publicly pub-licly proposed to leave the entire con-1 troversy to President Wilson to say: personally whether we should have the eight-hour day in freight and yard service without reduction of the pres- ent dally rates "The railroads seemingly prefer a strike rather than abide by President: Wil6on'a suggested method of seltle-1 ment Who is disloyal to the govern- ment?" Country Facing Disaster. Peace negotiations between the rail-roads rail-roads of the United States and the rl employes' brotherhoods failed yester- rw day and the country today faces the ::H prospect of a strike of conductors, en-gineers, en-gineers, firemen and trainmen that will tie up railroad transportation from . I Maine to California At seven o'clock, Saturday nisht. unless President Wil- j son successfully intervenes or the rail-road rail-road managers and their men make an unexpected compromise, the strike will begin with the freight and yard em-ployes em-ployes of the New York Central, the Nickel Plate and Baltimore & Ohio lines, in the switching yards at Chi-cago Chi-cago and St. Louis. Strike orders call at first for a cea-sation cea-sation of work only on freight trains. The employes expect that their first display of strength will bring the roads to terms. If it fails to do this, the strike will be extended on successive days to freight employes throughout the country until by Wednesday all the roads will be affected. On Wed-nesday. Wed-nesday. if the railroads still hold out, the brotherhood men will begin to leave the passenger trains and locomo- J tivee li the men carry out their pro- i H sr. i m every mile of railroad in the f H country, both freight and passenger service, will feel the effects of the strike by Monday, March 26. Plans to Fight Strike. 1 Plans to combat such a strike wera ( Minpleted by the railroads of the country last winter when the crisis w&t averted by the action of President i H Wilson and the passage of the Adam- I son law. Each road apparently will work out its individual methods. In- I dicatlons today are that the managers hope a large percentage of their men t will refuse to obey a strike order and that a partial service will be main- I tained notwithstanding the efforts of the brotherhoods. Appeals to employes to remain loyal were issued last night by the New York Central and the Baltimore and Ohio roads, which would be among the first affected by the walkout. One rail-way rail-way authority said today that if tho railroads could keep six trains in move-ment move-ment every day on their main linea they would break the strike. The roads expect to accomplish this, and perhaps more, by manning trains with pensioned employes, firemen, di JH patcbers and traffic and office men not M members of the striking brotherhoods. Thus far the railroads have announced no plans for recruiting strikebreakers outside the service. The effect of the railroad situation H was apparent here today in the rising prices of provisions Hotels and res-taurants res-taurants and many individual consum- H ers are laying in large stocks of food in anticipation of u tie-up of freight facilities. NEW YORK, March 16 As one o I the first steps to deal with the dis-orcanization dis-orcanization of transportation which j will be caused by the railway strike, the national conference committee of railway managers has informed the in dividual railroads that an embargo on all perishable freight is advisable. j Embargo Notices Being Sent. CHICAGO. March 16 Railroads en tering Chicago began sending out no-tices no-tices of embargoes today. The first came from the New York Central. which announced that after midnight 'I tonight, absolutely no freight would be accepted. The notices of the va-rlous va-rlous belt line companies followed. |