The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1894-11-21
ARBITRATION CONGRESS.
Prominent Labor Leaders, Capt.
talists and Men of Letters
Meet In Convention to Promote Arbitration
and Cancellation = Labor Commits
slOner Carroll ID. Wright Ad-
dresses the Convention In
Opposition to Compul-
sorry Arbitration.

Willard hall yesterday morning.
Among those present were several
prominent labor leaders, including Sam
uel Gompers, president Of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor; William II.
Sayward, secretary of the National
Association of Builders; P. ]. Mcclure,
secretary of the United Brotherhood
of Carpenters and Joiners; M. ]. Car
roll, editor of the Eight-Hour Herald;
Prof. E. w. Bemis, of the University of
Chicago; Miss Jane Adams Represent
ative Springer, Josephine Shaw Lowell,
of New York, and others
Banker Lyman j. Gage, president of
the civic federation, under whose aus
pices the congress was called together,
presided at theforenoon session.
In opening the congress President
Gage said he believed it marked an i'm
portant step in the movement of the
country's industrial and social prog
ress, He thought questions involving
millions could be settled by arbitration
without recourse to violence
Prof. L. R. L. Gould, of Johns Hop
kins university, was introduced as the
| first speaker. His subject was 1.-THE
history of industrial arbitration in En-
gland and on. the continent" The
council of experts in France, said the
speaker, had been very successful in
settling minor industrial difficulties
The bureau sat daily and the parties
concerned came before it and presented
their grievances in person, There were
1T of these councils in France The
four councils in Paris alone annually
dealt with $4,000 cases, most of which
were settled without trouble.
The English method of settling
strikes was first discussed. Boards of
Cancellation and arbitration were in
successful operation all over England.
Members of some of these boards were
chosen by ballot and such boards fur
nished the best models for imitation.
The decision of the arbitration board
was final and binding on all parties
Voluntary agencies were the only kinds
desired.
Editor James Peabody, of the Rail-
way Review, spoke on Arbitration in
railway affairs"
L. S. Coffin, of Iowa, representing
the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen,
said he ante-dated all railroads. II
was large boy when the first rail in
this country was laid," he said. "Since
then the growth of railroads has been
so rapid that 1t is no wonder we cannot
keep pace with the difficulties which
arise in connection with them" Mr.
Coffin thought railway employees were
in every sense public servants. AS such
they should not cripple the public serv-
ice; but, on the other hand, the rail-
roads should pay them fair wages. The
public was the great general paymas-
ter. If the public did not now pay
enough to the railroads to enable them
to give their employees good wages, let
the public be charged for freight and
passenger traffic.
He believed thatla should have the
right to combine and made strong
plea for Sunday rest for railroad en-
ployes. He opposed state and national
commissions and declared he was not
in favor of giving them more power in
regard to the settlement of strikes.
Let their work be merely advisory.
Representative William M. Springer
spoke on his bill for the arbitration of
labor troubles between railroad en-
ployers and employees. This bill is now
on the congressional calendar and will
shortly come up in congress. Unfor-
tunately, as Mr.. Springer remarked, its
author will not be there to push it
along, however much it may be consid-
cred a good thing. Mr. Springer ex-
planned his bill in detail.
More than half the audience at the
evening session were laboring men.
Papers were read by Josephine Shaw
Lowell, of New York; Joseph b. Weeks,
of Pittsburg, and Prof. E. W. Bemis, of
the Chicago university
CHICAGO, Nov. 15.-Miss Jane Adams
presided at the opening of the arbitra-
tion congress yesterday. She empha-
sized the statement that this move
ment was not calculated to retard the
labor revolution, but rather to help it
along. The first speaker was Joseph
D. Weeks, editor of the Iron World,
whose subject assigned on the pro-
gramme was Relation between en-
ployer and employe in manufacturing
affairs" He did not confine himself to
his subject, but discussed rather the
difficulties arising over matters of SEN
timent or what are called ''sympa.
thetic" strikes. Strikes and lock-outs
settled nothing beyond which side
could hold out longer. The speaker
did not think what was a fair days
wages could ever be settled by legisla-
tive enactment He thought the true
solution of the labor problem was only
to be found in bringing public opinion
10 bear on the question.
M. M. Garland, president Of the
Amalgamated Association of Iron and
Steel Workers, followed, on the sub
ject, "Sliding scales and kindred mat
ters." He thought sliding scales steI
in advance of any wage system YET
tried and explained it in detail, justi
flying the fact that limit is fixed, low
er than which wages cannot go, wheth
er the price of the product goes lower
or not At the afternoon session the
speakers were Labor Commissioner
Carroll D. Wright, Henry @. Adams ant
Judge John Gibbons, Of the Cook coun
ty bench.
Mr.. Wright said in part 1.-The labol
question, broadly stated, means simply
q struggle for higher standard of liv
inr A strife in itself is sitnnlv n nro