The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-08-31
LABOR LEADERS CONFER.
What They accomplished, If Anything,
is In Doubt.
AN EXTRA SESSION OF CONGRESS-
To Provide for the Settlement OF the fres-
eut Labor Troubles Is the Plan OF Pres's
dent Rstchford d-sovereign ssyss
Plan Has Been Formed.

ct LOUIS. August 3O.-The conference
of labor leaders which began TINS nloih-
ING has been a busy day. What the con-
ference has accomplished IL anything Is
i'm Doubt. 1t is not believed that the
leaders have attained any definite result
and. in fact. the president OF one OF the
national organizations said tonight that
failure OF the conference was foregone
conclusion.
Il should feel very much chagnhe"'
said this gentleman, III had any part
of the convenng Of the committee.
The Committee on Resolutions anu
plans Of Action was at work all the after
noon and evening and tonight MT. SoN-
ereien announced that they had torihu-
lated a plan but declined 10 give any on on
tails The platform. II is expected WIZ
be submitted to the conference 'o-"'0'
The feeling i'm the different orsaniza-
tions represented in the conference make
an unwieldy body. and II is eNdent that
all OF the candidates fix with piseloi ~ ~
formulated by five men repIesen'"s O."
many branches Of organized laoor.
4 STRANGE IDEA.
Mr. Ratchfords plan is TO ask fresl-
dent Mckinley 10 convene toust 80 ="
extra session TO enact measures 10 pro.
vide for the settlement of the present
labor dificulties or. as he puts It,, TO
define the rights Of citizens, II any, ul9
not meet with the approval he had hopeen pei
for. and il is not believed tho lue@ VIII
be lncorporated i'm the platform.
Although present in the conference an.
dav. Mr. Dehs did not speak, nor did ne
nut I'm an appearance at TINS AFTERNOON
mass-meeting where he was widely ad-
vertised to make an address. He Is repre-
eented on the resolution committee, by
Mr. Berger and as he has run pre'ly
close 10 the gentlemen composing Idt
committee IT. is safe to predict that ms
social Democracy idea will be reported.
II is thought adjournment VIII ne
reached some time tomorrow
The ronOrt Of the Committee on tfeueu-
tails after some discussion was adop'eu,
n was decided however. that delegates
ia recognized as coming from the paric-
ular organization they represent "-
stead Of the general body.
The report showed also The presence oi
one woman delegate. Mrs. mary Jones; "i
Chicago. who represented the Soclal De-
mocracv. After considerable discussion
the Committee ON Resolutions ana "a.
of Action was named as follows: W. y
pearce Of the miners w ID. Mahon OF
the street Raimen; Victor Bergsl, oii
Milwaukee. who represents tlT a.
Democrats IN whose favor Mr.. Debs nt-
clined. q. q. Clemens. Of Topeka, rep
rcsentlng the Populsts ana James ~
Sovereign. 1900, ,.,rro>r
EANORS RkSOLl lOsN'
Mr.. Pat. O'Neg. Of Rich Hin. MO- ,S,nI WnI
said he represented L0W uhoib'i'@0O
hicks. favored a labor revolution.
81. ,vas "a Socialist, he said, ana ne u,
Vcved in the miners taxing mus 49,
their own hands IL necessary, ilIs ls,is NJ
harangue pleased the au1i'mS ll.Is io reeord as
Mir. Sovereign put himseh on te'1Iiu ~ h. 90
opposed 10 Mr.. Ratchford's plan. ~ -,
ueved this would be the last ii Ionl S''e'D11 ,,1
to he held under present coh1luoi9 "iu
that the crucial test no" coI'iio"'o'
ganizcd labor .otd Resolu-
- Conomitte, was useless. me c"H-
vcntiou should vote ON Ratchlofu pl"p'
sition and then go home. enid u,,s
The mower of the nation, ne salu, WI.
I'm fbe courts. and If anybody was 10 ne
convened let IL DE the courts. re "aS op-
posed 10 Mr. Ratchford s proposition
MIR Mahon as did his predecessor TOOK
a fling at Senator Hanna, Mr. Mahoh
saving the President would have to get
Hannas consent 20 the convenng OF con-
gress
James NJ. Carson, president of the iii
nOis miners. recitcd at great length
the conditions of the miners Of his state,
and said he believed his men would be
beaten In TWO weeks.
kilograms Of greeting and protests
against "gOVerLn ent by Injunction were
received from the Populist Executive
Committee of the Sixteenth COngressiOn-
al District of Ohio the German Trades
Assembly Of Philadelphia and the Atlanta
Federation Of Trades. A polite reply, TO
quit mOnkeyng," and strike for single
tax on land values. was then read from
| Youngston, Ohio, single-taXers and the
talk went on.
Mr.. Ratchford took exception TO Mr.
Carsons statement that the Illinois min
ers had lost the strike. He said the
miners were winning the strike and FUR
thermOre his men were not asking his
convention for aid. They wanted this
gathering to eradicate If possible the pow
er of injunction.
Taking a fling at Miner Pat Reilly, he
said. a man who advocated the use OF
Winchesters had no place in the conven-
tion.
"Down our way" said Mr.. Ratchford.
miners don't know how to handle
guns"
James Hogan. formerly Of the a. r. T.,
and now representing the Social Democ-
racy of Chicago, General Bradley, OF
COmmOnWeal fame. and General" Heine-
man, a Texas Populist, kept up the fiOw
OF words until OclOck. when the con-
ventiOn adjourned until tomorrow morn
ing AT 9 O'clOck, at which time the resOlu-
tiOns committee was expected 10 report.
VARIOUS IDEAS.
Less than 1000 people, among whom
were o. large number OF ladies, assembled
in Massie Hall 10 listen 10 addresses By
prominent labor leaders brought 10 the
city By the conference. There was much
enthusiasm shown.
Grand Master Workman Sovereign, who
presided made an impassiOned address.
I'm which he said that the laborng men
OF this country are now face 10 face with
the last great problem Of civilization
the rights and liberty Of free speech.
He predicted that the conference would
result in the issuance Of an edict that
would lead 10 a new era OF liberty 10
the laboring classes OF America.
John V. Lloyd. OF Chicago. spoke In
place OF Debs, who was busy with the
ommlttee on Resolutions. He said that
the Injunction was the last nail I'm the
coffin OF free dominion and justice and he
predicted there would never be an effective
strike unless every wheel OF industry I'm
the country was stopped.
AmOnC Other sneakers were Frank Ste
vens who said that the only solution OF
the question was single tax NJ ID. Ma
hon. G.. G. Clemens, owen Miller. and NJ.