The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-31
NOTHING LIKELY TO BE ACCOM-
PLIsHED BY THE ST. LOUIS
,foNFERENoE.
A WHOLE DAY OF oRAToRY.
THE REPORT of THE COMMITTEE
ON RESOLUTIONS is EXPECT
ED TODAY.
RATcHFoRD PLAN NOT APPROVED.
mine workers. President Anxious to
nave the President Call "a Special
Session of Congress.

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 30.-The conference
| or labor leaders. which began this
morning, had busy day, and tonight
the end Is in sight. What the confer
ence has accomplished, If anything, is
In doubt 1t is not believed the leaders
nave attained any definite result, and.
III fact, the president Of one Of the ma
tlonal organizations said tonight that
the failure of the conference was a
foregone conclusion.
should feel very much chagrined,"
said the gentleman, 'if l had any part
In the converting of this conference"
The committee on resolutions and
plan of action was at work all the
AFTERNOON and evening, and tonight Mr.
sovereign announced that they had
formulated platform, but declined to
| give any details. The platform, it is
expected, will be submitted to the con-
Ventlon tomorrow morning. The four
teen different organizations represented
IN the convention make an unwieldy
| body, and it is evident that all of them
cannot be satisfied with a platform
|
many branches of organized labor Mr.
Ratchford's plan of petitioning Presi-
dent Mckinley to convene congress in
extra session to enact measures provid-
Ing for the settlement of the present
labor difficulties, or as he puts it, ''To
! define the right of citizens, if any" did
not meet with the approval he had
hoped for, and it is not believed the
idea will be Incorporated in the plat
form. Although present at the conven-
| ton all day. Mr.. Debs did not speak
nor did he put in an appearance at
| tonlghtS mass meeting, where he was
| widely advertised to make an address,
lie is represented on the resolution
committee, however, by Mr. Berger
and, as he has remained pretty close to
the committee, it is safe to say his
Social Democracy" idea will be rep
resented. 1t is thought adjournment
will be reached some time tomorrow.
| Chairman Steinbis, of the local COM
mittee Of arrangements called the con-
| ference to order at 10 o'clock About
| 100 people were scattered about the
hall, not all of them, however, being
delegates. Mr.. Steinbis suggested that
as the call for the convention had
been issued hurriedly, and as many of
| the delegates were yet unadViSed as to
the meeting place and hour, an ad-
journment be taken until II o'clock.
When the convention was again
called to order, w. B. Prescott, presi-
dent of the National Typographical
union, of indianapolis, was chosen tenn
| pOrary chairman, and A. M. Pierce, of
Columbus, temporary secretary. Mr..
! Prescott then appointed the following
committee on credentials: Mr.. Ratch-
| ford, James OConnor, of the machin-
! lists, Chicago; Grant Luce, of the ST.
Louis Central Labor organization; ].
R. Sovereign and w. D. Mahon.
! The committee on credentials made
its report Immediately upon the as
sembling of the conference for it's after
noon session. 1t was shown that
eighty eight delegates We're present.
! The temporary organization was then
made permanent and the chairman
read the call for the convention. it
| was moved and seconded that a conf
mittee on resolutions be made up of one
! member from each national organiza-
! ton represented, each delegation to
choose it's man. This was amended b.
Delegate Stephens, of Philadelphia, to
read: "And plan of action
Mr.. Mahon, of Detroit, objected to
this committee as unweildy, and sale
he was perfectly satisfied to leave the
matter of resolutions to a committee
Of five to be selected by the chair. He
amended the resolution to that effect
Mr.. Mahons amendment was carried
on a division, as was the amendment
of Mr.. Stephens.
The chairman then named as the
committee ION resolutions and plan OF
action" w. S. Pearce, of the miners;
! W. D. Mahon, Of the street railway
men; Victor Berger, of milwaukee,,
who represents the Social Democracy,
in whose favor Mr.. .Debs declined; G.
! G Clemens, of Topek esrr aepgenitn
C. Clemens, of Topeka, representing
the Populists, and James r. Sovereign.
| Mr.. Ratchford, then took the floor
He went over the miners strike from
its inception to the present day, and
dwelt particularly upon government
by injunction" He pleaded for prompt
action, and coming to the point of his
| argument, advocated a special session
of congress as the best, and in fact
| the only relief. 81 believe" said Mr.
Ratchford, "a special session of con-
gress is necessary to define the rights
| of the people of this country-if they
have any. l believe if sufficient time
is given, the president of the United
States will call special session of
| congress to act on the matter of in
| functions and find means of relief from
the existing troubles in the labor
| world"
| I'm case of REFUSAL said Mr.. Ratch-
ford impressively, after an outburst Of
cheering had subsidized, sit will then be
time to consider more extreme meas
ures. I am in favor, if the president
refuses to call congress together, of a
complete paralysis of business. I be-
lieve in sympathetic strike"
Pat O'Neill, of Rich Hill, who said
he represented 1,500 unorganized
"picks.' favored a labor revolution,
He was a SOCIALISM, he said, and be-
lieved in the miners taking things in
their own hands If necessary. His
greatly.
Mr.. Sovereign put himself on record
as opposed to Mr.. Ratchford's plan.
He believed this would be the last
convention held under present condi-
lions, and that crucial test now con-
fronted organized labor.
Mr. Mahon, of Detroit, said a reSo-
Iutions committee was useless. He
was opposed to Mr.. RatchfordS propo-
sition. Mr. Mahon, as did his prede-
| cessor. took a fling at Senator Hanna.
He said the president would have to
get Hanna's 81 consent to the converting
Of congress- %
James M. Carson, president of the
Illinois miners, then recited at great
length the conditions confronting the
miners of his state, and said he be-
iieved his men would be beaten in two
weeks. 81 n
kilograms, ,of greeting and protests
against government by Injunction
were received from the Populist exec
utiye committee of the Sixteenth con-
gressional district of Ohio. the German