Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 60, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 March 1917 — ANOTHER WALKOUT STARTED BY R. R. MEN [ARTICLE]

ANOTHER WALKOUT STARTED BY R. R. MEN

Monon Employes Are Said to Be Among Those to Strike Within Next Few Days.

Talk of a railroad strike was general among the labor men gathered at Washington Monday at a meeting of the brotherhoods. National officers of the four big organizations declined to confirm or deny that definite strike plans were under consideraThe leaders will meet again today, pre'iminary to the meeting of the brotherhood and railway officials to be held in New York Thursday. Sectional conferences will be held in other cities and the brotherhood heads insist that they canhot forecast their course until the locals from all parts of the country have reported the results of their deliberations. There were distinct indications, however, that there might 'be more truth in the strike reports than appeared on the Surface. An impression current among some of the official was that a general walkout probably would follow quicker if the roads refused to .accede to the union demands at Thursday’s conference. Saturday was the day most persistently mentioned as likely to see the climax of the long controversy between the roads and their men. It was pointed out however, that very little time would be required to put a strike order into operation if a decision was reached to take that course. AH of the machinery used to prepare for the strike narrow >y averted last fall could be put into service quickly now if the news cameThe present controversy, like that of which it is the oifbgrowth, revolves around the eight-hour day, and more than one of the leaders declared that the brotherhoods had waited too long already while the supreme court deliberated on the constitutionality of the shorter day. They argued that if the roads dec'ine at Thursday’s conference to put an eight-hour day into effect forthwith, there would be no strikp. A report is to the effect that a group of railroads would go out at six Saturday night and another group at the same hour on Sunday night. Groups would continue to strike until the following Wednesday night, when all the railroads would be tied up. The report was also to the effect that the Monon railroad was included in the second group to strike and that if the order is carried out the trainmen will strike Sunday night.