The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-19

in this movement that has culminated in the New York conference"'
 II first met some gentlemen who were engaged In the work soon after the set clement of the anthracite coal strike in 1900. I do not mind saying now that the settlement of that strike was brought about through making the capitalIscts who owned the coal railroads and the coal companies see that it was to their interest to meet the men and talk 1t over.
 Proud of the Result.
 Yes. l admit that had something to do with 1t, and the result Is what want to speak of. These men who have been educated to fight labor at all times, were brought together to meet the lead CTS of the anthracite labor leaders in J. Pierpont Morgan's office in New York. The result was that the strike was ended over night What was effected then ested in the industrial bureau of the Civic Federation to ask me to join in their movement They told me that they were trying to establish, in all walks of industrial life, what had been accom- plished in the way of settling the coal strike I joined heartily with them, and since then have been doing everything in my power to interest prominent men
 Do you think a rule can be laid dcwn to which labor and capital will | agree that will result in preventing la bor troubles in the future?'
 'I do. It will be made a success if untiring effort can do it. The last great i strike we lad was the steel strike. That taken in time. But mistakes had been made and the matter got in such shape 1 that the strike had to go on. I don't mind saying that the Amalganated As | offered to leave the whole matter to me as arbiter. but at that time the strike had got into such shape that the other l side. although they had the utmost con- n nrOnnSn1 arbitrator cOnl0 not aTbitrate.
 Ending the Strike. q will say. however. that the strike was finally adjusted through the efforts | of the Civic Fedora tiOn Men like Ralph | NJ. Easley of Chicago and Professor Jenks of Cornell University brought the l thing about.
 The conference which terminated the strike was not easy tq t5s be ntaa had syote Steel Corporation myself and urged him | to attend another conference. He finally l consented to see Professor -Jenks. As a l result the strike was declared off and Mir. Schwab has frequently thanked me 1 for bringing him around on that subject l "There is another incident connected with fES{ strike Thlsh Ts tbs Tn Ya1s saYak of l will refer to it only briefly now. to show what may be accomplished by. concilia- tion when grave danger confronts the | country.
 At one stage of the struggle between the United States Steel Corporation and the Amalgamated Association sympa- | thetic strike was threatened. It was gravely imminent, and if it had been ordered it would have tied up all of the transportation lines of the country. and | there is no telling where it would have ended or how extensive would have been the panic that would have followed. In many lines of labor the men were anx- ious to strike.
 Value of Plain TaTF: l "A conference was held in Cleveland 4 which was attended by officials of most Of the big labor organizations. Officers of the Amalga mated Association were 4 present I know just what happened, Tor T told of the responsibilities that they would have to assume if they took the extreme step contemplated. As result of the efforts made at that time. the sympathetic strike was averted be- lieve in the future we will be able tC accomplish great things in the way oi adjusting these disputes before the! d reach the acute stage.