Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1915-06-24
BY SAMUEL J.LEvvIS

questions and an authority on indus
trial compensation laws. Mrs.
Borden HMarriman, a New York SO
ciety woman, represented the womel
| of the country, or was supposed Il
do so. S. -Thurston Ballard, a Louis
vile flour miller, represented the EN-
ployer of non-union labor. Harris
Weinstock, San Francisco department
store owner, represented what h
was pleased to refer to as the unor
ganized crafts - clerks, bookkeepers
salesladies, etc. Frank p Walsh was
a lawyer, not an employed, and was
| supposed to be neutral. He was ap
pointed because of that. He was re
garded as the balance staff of the
commission.
Wherefore, anything that Mr..
Walsh might do or say became oil
| moment as tending to show which
way the commissions winds were
blowing.
Whatever the labor representatives
would do might be taken as merely
biased action by the people. They
were supposed to represent labor, and
would have leaning toward the toilers
And anything the others, with the
Walsh exception, would do, might also
be forecast. Their minds on many
points were made up ahead of the
sessions. Mr.. Walsh, coming to the
deliberations with an open mind, was
the man to watch. And the people
! watched him. /,
Thus, right here, it NAV be- said
again that President Wilson will not
remove Mr.. Walsh on the strength Of
any inane and commonplace charges
because if he should do so, the presi
dent would be admitting that he is
willing to cast out the only really
neutral man on the commission.
And the president will not do that
He is not such a poor politician.
As for the president himself, it car
be pointed out that he missed his
!, great chance in the Colorado strike
He appointed his mediation commits
sions, but he did not insist that they
mediate. He moved-but he did NOT
move far enough. He started out
right, but he ended with a flivver.
He did many things which, if pur
sued, might have brought Industrial
quiet and prosperous peace to- Colo
RADIO, but the great essentials he left
undone. He left the last word un-
spoken.
Along came Mr.. Walsh with the
open mind and the fearless heart. He
came to Colorado in December with
the other members of the commits
sion. He knew little about the strike.
In fact, it was not going to be the
business of the commission to inves-
tigate strikes at all. Only insofar as
they had bearing on the relations OF
capital and labor, and the underlying
causes Of Industrial unrest.
The Colorad strike was too big to
be overlooked. It held all the points
at issue - strike. gunner, hired
guards, state militia, federal soldiers,
battles, women killed, babes smoth-
cred, men starved, employees poorly
paid everything
Soon Mr.. Walsh, on hearing Of these
things, began to be swayed toward
the workers and against the bosses.
The neutral head of the commission
was being won toward the laborer!
It was very disastrous for the bosses,
and something must be done!
Mr.. Walsh could not settle the
strike. He could not force arbitra-
ton. He could not compel the oper-
ators to meet with their men, or raise
wages, or better conditions. It was
not the duty of the commission to do
these things. The members were sup.
posed to investigate labor conditions
and report to congress. They might
recommend new and better lawsuit
recommending would be as far as they
could go.
Knowing these things and realizing
his limitations, Mr.. Walsh began to do
those things which President Wilson
had left undone or unconpleted. He
took the public into his confidence.
He let the people know what had been
going on. in Colorado. He exposed the
power behind the coal baron throne
He showed the underground workings
between the Colorado coal camps and
NO. Is Broadway. He exposed the
connection of John Dee Junior with
| Inc strike. He unmasked . hypo
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