The Washington herald., 1917-01-19
Interesting Chats
From Hotel Lobbies

Some day / believe organized labor
will have TO resort to the methods OF the
cavemen TO obtain its rights" said Frank
Z. Maxwell. of San Francisco, stopping
at the Raleigh.
Not that am a walking delegate for
any union" said Mr.. Maxwell. who is In
business In the West, 'but ! can see that
we are In for some exciting times II
capital continues TO ride rough-shod over
some of the labor unions. Once upon
time / was against labor tooth and nail,
but now certain classes of the unions
have my sympathy. although ! represent
branch OF capital.
There have been times when both
sides resorted to the club. and II we can
only weed out of both capital and labor
the most undesirable mercenary ele-
ments, great big part of the most ser
ious problems of today will be solved
Capital has no right 10 hire thugs and
gunmen, and neither has labor any right
20 destroy property. / have seen strikes
settled amicably for both sides, and II
was because both sides were intelligent
and orderly. There was no show Of
violence on the part OF the strikers IN
this particular case, and the mill owners
did not attempt to coerce the men. They
got together and did some tall cussing.
and reason prevailed, and would you be-
lieve it, that the mill owners made no
attempt to blacklist certain leaders Of
the strikers, but received them back with
good feeling and publicly acknowledged
that they had yielded to the strikers for
increased pay and more sanitary condi-
tions.
And yet, on the other hand. some
business men would have Immediately
sent out notices to other men OF their
breed concerning the strikers, and the
leaders yronId har firad ~ he ffFsf
opportunity and would have found diff
ficulty in getting work within a thousand
miles. Rare case, can tell you"
Just why Europe laughs at some OF
our diplomatic bungles is very easy to
see IL you take little time and read UP
on some OF the incidents and happenings
in the last ten or fifteen years" said Cary
II. Wilmath, former agent for a Russian
oil concern, who has spent many years in
the Balkan and European countries, and
who is stopping at the Ebbitt. Yet on
the other hand said Mr. wilmerth.
there has been a great deal OF sincere
admiration for our consular agents and
ministers who have held down their posts
even while handicapped in numerous
ways.
Still, some of this laughter has not
been directed at the government repre-
SentatlNeS personally. because the ma
porfty of business men in nearly all
civilized countries know the attitude OF
the government toward the pay envelopes
of our foreign representatives They
make a better study OF us than we do
Of ourselves or of them. OF course.
exclude Mexico. because foreign repre-
sentatives Of all natIonalities have been
more or less insulted and inconvenience
there, but the Americans receive the least
respect in that God-forsaken country.
We have lost immense prestige since
the outbreak Of the war and have earned
the reputation that We can be insulted
and sighted in forty different ways IL
some one pays US in cash for the priyi-
lege Shortly after the outbreak Of hos
tilities l met a prominent business ma n
from New York. a man who in New York
commands enormous financial prestige.
Yet he was knocked around like a foot
ball in Rumania, tossed about in Bull
garia. and his luggage stolen in Italy
all because he had clustered too much
and could talk only one language and
no one knew, not even from his auther
ticated passports. that he was not a spy
or bombplotter. He had a mixed Ger
man and English name.
The last ] saw OF him was in Ru-
mania trying to convince the American n
Minister that he was entitled TO the pro-
lection of the American flag that hosted
over the minister's home. Yet on the
other hand. a bona fide citizen OF either
Germany or England would have COM
manded more respect"