The Alaska daily empire., 1916-12-15
WILSON GIVES
 OUT ADVICE IN
 INSURANCE TALK
Tells Organizations to Get in Closer Touch With the Rank and
 the File.
REGULATIONS WANTED

WASHINGTON, Dec. S. Special Advocacy of a better social un- derstanding" by President Wilson. and warning my Samuel Gompers, president of the American Fedora ton of Labor. against governmental regulation of the normal activities and personal relationships of the people. occupied today's session Of the convention on social insurance here under the auspices of the Ma tional Association or Industrial Ac- yident Boards and Commissions.
 President Wilson. welcoming the delegates to Washington, declared hat the nation is turning its atten- ton more and more to those things which affect the daily life and for. tunes of the rank and file" and is getting into closer touch with the daily lives of the men and women in it.
 Referring directly to the recently threatened nationwide railroad strike Mir. Gompers said that its discussion in Congress had led to an effort 70 enforce "conscripdon" on the workers.
 Jealous of Liberties
 Giving governmental control over industrial relations gives great pow ,r to an unknown force" continued Mir. Gomperg. "l beg to advise you to have a care in attempting to reg ulate the personal relationships and normal activities of the people. No matter how sympathetic or humani- .arian may be the gloss over the plan, beg you to beware. We do not know what the effects will be Of he war in Europe, but the people Di the United States should hold their liberties in their own hands"
 Mir. Gompers opposed compulsory social insurance and praised the work 1i trade unions in promoting the welfare of the workers and in en- ;oUraging voluntary social insurance.
 Secretary Wilson of the Depart ment of labor discussed the progress of social insurance and declared he believed the next step would be old age pensions
 George Pope, president of the Ma donal Association Of Manufacturers, told of the efforts of manufacturing corporations and organizations to promote the welfare of their em- ployees and opposed too much gov ernment interference
 Drifting From Political Things
 "We are living in an extremely interesting time" said President Wilson. We have drifted away from purely political questions We have, fortunately enough, ceased to make constitutional questions the center 3f discussion and are turning our intention more and more to those .hings which affect the daily life md fortunes of the rank and file )s great nations. We are studying he people whom long ago we ought have served better than we have served them. and as we get in closer md closer touch with the daily lives lf men and women We know how Co .ounsel better. we know how to gov arn better we know how to conduct )ur own individual lives better, with ! deeper insight and a trucr sym Dathy
 "A conference such as this, to dis cuss social insurance, gives evidence )f the dominant interests of our own .ime and one of the best elements )f social insurance is social under itanding interchange of views and comprehension of interests which for long time was only too rare It used to be confined to hose who were supposed to be re jtricted 10 what the general public regarded as the useless precincts of he university Now 1t has spread 70 the ranks of practical men and has come to be regarded as prac- tical study"