The Washington herald., 1915-01-29
LABOR LEADERS
MEET JOHND., JR
No. 26 Broadway Scene of
First Conference of Its
Kind Ever Held There.
SILENCE CLOAKS RESULT
Neither Side Will Discuss Meeting, but
Others Will Be Held in
Near Future.
SILENCE CLOAKS RESULT
TO The Washington Herald.


Special TO The Washington Herald.
- New York, Jan. 2.-John d. Rookie
feller, jr., and three strike leaders from
Colorado met today in the first confer
ence the Standard Oil Company has ever
accorded organized labor.
The conference was held at 26 Broad
way, in the office where John ID. Rookie
felIer. ST., long nodded the destinies Of
the oil industry.
Participating were F. ]. Hayes, vice
president OF the United Mine Workers;
Edward L. Lynch, secretary and treas
urer of District No. 15 OF the United Mine
Workers, which bore the brunt of the
Ludlow struggle; James Lord, head OF the
mining department of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor; Mckenzie King, former
minister of labor of Canada. and now
directing a worldwide investigation of
labor conditions for the Rockefeller
Foundation, and young Mr.. Rockefeller
himself.
Both Sides Are silent.
Sitting beneath the portrait Of his
father, the heir of Standard Oil for two
hours discussed with the representatives
of labor the problems that led to civil
war in Colorado. Less than six months
ago these same men were denouncing the
Young millionaire as an oppressor of their
KIM, anu IAldA EAl4B ~ ms
slaughter of innocents which marked the
progress of the strike.
Today, in a spirit of the utmost friend
illness, the same men calmly laid before
Rockefeller labor's views as to the reme-
dies for Industrial strife.
out of the conference came this
significant result: The labor leaders
and Rockefeller agreed upon policy
of silence. And another meeting be-
tween them will be held.
we had just a pleasant little talk
about the general situation" said Mr..
Rockefeller as he and Mckenzie King
left the Standard Oil Offices for the
day Yes, it was very pleasant all
the way through. And that is all
there is to be said, gentlemen.
You can understand how much de-
pends on what is being done now and
how much more harm than good might
come from making more out of our
than it really was l hope
you will not make more out or IL
than that it was a pleasant meeting.
and l am sure you won't, for L know
you all want to help"
Discuss Colorado Trip.
What suggestions did you make to
Mr. Rockefeller along the lines OF
bringing about a better understanding
between the miners and the employers
and a remedy for prevailing condi-
tions?" Mr.. Hayes was asked.
Il would rather not discuss that"
was the reply. We talked over mat
ters and compared points of view.
There was a free exchange of opinion
on both sides"
One of the subjects discussed at
today's conference was the projected
visit of Rockefeller jr., to the Col
orado mine fields. 1t is planned that
this visit shall be made within a
month or two, and Mr.. Rockefeller
will meet the workingmen on the
ground and discuss with them their
As he informed Mother Jones at his
conference with her on Wednesday, Mr..
Rockefeller told his callers today that he
agreed in principle with most of the de-
mands which have been presented in be-
half of the men. but that he would have
to consider all of the local conditions
before committing himself to any meas
ures looking to wholesale remedies.
Mother Jones "Backsides."
Mother Jones ''backslid'' little during
the day however. At the noon recess Of
the Industrial commission, the militant
high priestess of the Colorado mine work.
ers issued a statement in which she said,
among other things:
Good intentions are all right as paw
ing blocks but what we want is per-
formance-and we want it now. / don't
believe Mr.. Rockefeller understands the
needs and aspirations of the working peo-
pie yet. II he did understand, and If he
is sincere. he would realize that the new
scheme for meeting his men in Colorado
is a sham and a fraud.
He is letting the workers elect one
representative at each mine, and those
delegates are to meet with the company
officials in Denver. They have no organ
ization behind them. They are absolute
ly powerless to enforce any Just demands.
They have no treasury. The operators
could put over anything they pleased.
and if the men tried to resist by the
only means in their power-a strike
they would be starved out in a week.
so far Mr.. Rockefeller has given only
lip service to democracy in industry His
new plan in Colorado masquerades as a
basis for collective bargaining. It is the
shadow and not the substance"