The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-08-31
TO INVOKE PRESIDENTS AID
MINERS' CHIEF WANTS HIM TO RE-
 CONVENE CONGRESS-.

Labor Conference at St. Louis-Eighty- eight Organizations Rcpresented-A Sympathetic Strike Not Likely.
 St. Louis, Aug. 3O.-The labor confer ence, held here, to-day, adjourned this evening to meet tomorrow. Nothing definite was accomplished.
 Eugene Debs was one of the early arrivals. Questioned as to the motive of his presence, he said: q am no longer affiliated with any labor body. but have come simply as a guest of the conference
 He would not venture an opinion on the probable outcome of the confer- ence.
 Is there any probability of sym pathetic striker" was asked.
 T hardly think so These delegates are not empowered to order strike. They can do no more than report back to their respective bodies the sense of the convention.
 6OFC py liJuliStioAAs NA' Debs went on to say, "as exemplified in the great struggle of the miners, has been carried to the extreme and the people are revolting. l expect the con vention will take some very decisive action in this matter"
 MT. Ratchford has plan calling upon every workingman and woman in each county to contribute one day of their wages to further the relief of the striking miners. This money, he thinks, will amount to between S1,O00 and s20OO per day Part of this fund will be used to keep men at work among the strikers in the Pittsburg district, where the operators purpose starting their mines with non-union men.
 But little was done at the morning session.
 The committee on credentials made it's report immediately upon the as- e~nbling of the conference for its after tseL session. It was shown that eigh- N,,slght delegates, representing the fol-
 Wing organizations, were present.: Omitted Mine Workers of America, the Social Democracy, the American Fed eration of Labor, the Stone Workers International union, the Brotherhood of Painters and Decorators, Brother hood of Bottle Blowers, Building Trades Council of St. Louis, the Patriots of America, International Brotherhood of Track Foremen, the Single Tax League of America Central Labor Ciuncil of Cincinnati, the International Typo graphical union, the Peoples Party of Kansas and the Industrial Order of Freedmen.
 The report, after some discussion, was adopted. It was decided, however, that delegates be recognized as coming from the particular organizations they rep resent instead of the general body.
 The report showed also the presence of one woman delegate, Mrs. Mary Jones of Chicago, who represents the Social Democracy. The temporary or ganzation was then made permanent, and the chairman read the call for the convention.
 On motion the chair then named as the committee on resolutions and plan of action, w. c. Pearce, of the miners; w. D. Mahon, of the street railway men; Victor Berger, of Milwaukee, who rep resents the Social Democracy. in whose favor MT. Debs declined; G. c. Clemons of Topeka, representing the Populists, and James R. Sovereign.
 Mir. Ratchford then took the floor. He went over the miners strike from it's inception to the present day, and dwelt particularly upon government by ln- Junction."
 He pleaded for prompt action and coming to the point of his argument ad- vocated a special session of congress as the best and in fact the only relief. "If the president refuses to call con- gress together, then I believe in sym pathetic strike"
 Mir. Pat O'Neil of Rich Hill, Mo-, who said he represented 1,500 unorganized picks" favored labor revolution. He was a socialist he said and believed \ in the miners taking things in their Nown hands if necessary His fiery har- Ngue pleased the audience greatly.
 Mir Sovereign put himself on record as opposed to Mir Ratchford's plan. He believed this would be the last conven- ton to be held under present condi- tions and that the crucial test now confronted organized labor.
 MT. Mahon of Detroit said a resolu- ,Stions committee was useless. The con- ! vention had to vote on Ratchford' s proposition and then go home. The power of the nation, he said, was in the courts and if anybody was to be injured, let it be the courts. He was opposed to MT. Ratchfords proposi- tion.
 James Hogan, formerly of the A. R. U., and now representing the Social Democracy of Chicago General Brad ley of Commonweal fame, and Gen eral" Heinemann, a Texas populist, kept up the flow of words until o'clock when the convention adjourned until tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock, when the resolutions committee is expected to report.
 Pittsburg, Aug. 30.-The strike sit nation in this district may be said to be in a. muddle. It is known that when President Dolan left for the St. Louis convention he was the bearer of an im- portant proposition to be submitted D National President Ratchford, which asks the privilege of starting some of the mines It has the sanction of some officials and only needs the consent of
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