Waterbury Democrat., 1900-12-18
LABOR CONFERENCE.
Arbitration and Cancellation Under
 DiScuSsiou

DlScuSSi0n.
 CHICAGO, Dec. 1S.-Men who ill the past have bitterly opposed each other in industrial contests filled Steinway hall at last nights session of the conference on concilation and arbitration which has begun here. Both the day and night ses- sicns were taken up with papers read by representatives of capital and labor look ing to the same end-a cure for strikes. From the tone of the addresses it seem- ed plainly evident that both sides were vigorously opposed to compulsory arbi- tration, and if a recommendation on the subject of q national board results from the present gathering the recommends tion will in all probability specify that all the boards work shall be along the line of voluntary arbitration.
 The night session was called to order at $ o'clock. After few introductory re- marks by Franklin McVeigh, the presid- ing officer, Henry W. Hoyt, president of the National Founders association, was introduced. MT. Hoyt spoke in part as follows:
 The industrial problems. so called, must be adjusted along the lines of least resistance. and the line of least resistance, in my opinion, is voluntary arbitration. ''As long as the wage earner believes or is taught to assume that society is in league to rob him as an individual of some of the purchasing power of his services so long must society reckon with him in his collective capacity. The em- | ployer who elects to ignore this fact is often as much of d menace to the indus trial peace as is that agitator who plays upon the prejudices and niiames the pas sions of the men he falsely serves. But the conditions are improving on both sides. The progressive manufacturer has learned that a union is not an altogether reprehcnsible evil in social economics and readily admits that when organized wage carners are dominated by strong consery- 1 ative men they will meet the employers | half way in arbitration.
 Unions must remember that there nev- | er was an attempt made to unite manu | facturing employers in the common cause of treating collectively with the relations 1 of labor until the unions themselves had asserted their power. Both the employ | CT and the employee must be honest 1 enough to concede that their interests are mutual and that the deep problems of | economics cannot be solved in q decade. 1 It is a SOW evolution that cannot be has l tened by violence or intolerance"
 The. next speaker after NIr. Hoyt was | Samuel Gompcrs. At the outset Mir. l Gompers stated that he desired to take positive exception to statements that had | been made before tho conference during the afternoon. He had already. he said. advised the gentleman whose remarks he 1 intended to criticiSe of his intention Mir. 1 Gompers added: Ono of the things to which 1 took exception was that as an officer of the Atchson, Topeka and Santa 1 I'e railroad -.e should undertake iIi this conference to present his side. the side of the railroad, in q strike which is still in | progress without a representative of the | strikers being here to present their side of the controversy. It seemed to me that 1 If the opportunity of this conference is to be taken advantage of for the presenta- tion of the railroads side of this contro- | verSy due notice might have been given to the representative of the Order of Railway Photographers in order that he might be here to listen to what was said and refute it if necessary. I am not pre- pared to say that what the gentleman said was untrue. but one story is very good until the other side is told.''
 Though admitting that strikes ought to be avoided in the interests of both capital and labor, Mir. Gompers declared that there were some evils more dreadful than strikes He added: We strike. People in China do not strike. 1 wonder whether those who would try to prevent the strik- CTS from striking or those who would pun
 ish the workers for striking would like tC change the condition from that which Ob
 tains in our country to that which Ob
 tains in China. If the absence of strikes
 was the measure of civilization. then Chi
 na ought to stand at the head of the
 world
 In conclusion he said. "We shall insis
 upon the right to quit work whenever the
 work becomes irksome to us. and we shal
 always insist on our right to strike fol
 any reason or for no reason at all.