Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-10-14
UNANIMOUS ACTION
REQUIRED by Rule
Of ROUND TABLE E
BY DAVID LAWRENCE

Copyright, 1919. for The Atlanta Journal)
WASHINGTON, d. c., Oct. 10
Unanimous agreement alone can
bring about the proclamation of
any principle or set Of principles
as rejecting the attitude of the
industrial peace conference now in
session. That means the temporary
defeat of the resolution presented
Ky the abor group for the appoint
n-ent for a special committee TO
settle the steel strike, but only tenn
pCrary, for while the committee of
fifteen composed Of five persons
from each of the three groups rep
resenting capital, labor and the pub
lie have been unable to agree on
what should be done with this test
resolution, a final vote by each of
tn groups is not going to be taken
unit the whole question is threshed
oar i'll Lpen conference with all
d delegates present and the labor
groGp STANDS ready to point out that
the nope of establishing peace in
the Industrial world is very slight
If the present conference should
decline to appoint a committee to
Investigate a specific situation.
The steel workers. through their
representatives apparently are ready
to go back to work Immediately up
TN the appointment of a commit
tee without being bound, of course
to stay at work If they dislike the
;lEC,ngs.
What has been proposed is really
a posse nement of the strike. #
may be that the conference will re-
fuse t. take action, b. it may be
also that the president of the United
States may take the action which
the labor group is asking-nameIy
thu appointment of a committee to
investigate the ms tier pending he
outc2me Of the industrial peace
conference.
The executive authority has al
ready made such requests through
the department Of labor. With the
illness of the president, Secretary
Wilson might act for the president.
Labor for Concrete Action
Even though the employers group
presented their idea at the Friday
session as to what should constitute
the basis of satisfactory relation
ship between capital and labor, it
was apparent that labor would in
sist on action on something concrete
namely the steel strike-before it
got into the realm Of generalities.
Men and women are suffering as a
result of the strike and to a certain
extent are industries dependent upon
steel production. Samuel Gompers
has insisted that time should not be
consumed in academic debate when
a specific case of an acute character
is before the industrial world.
Inside the committee of fifteen,
the five employers seemed to stand
as a unit against permitting any
specific strike to interfere with the
discussion of the whole situation or
to divert the labors Of the confer
ence. Inside the upublic group is
tendency to get the steel strike set
tied or postponed as g. means of add
ing to the confidence Of workers
generally in the seriousness Of pur-
pose and future influence of the in
dustrial peace conference itself.
eff the industrial conference can't
even appoint a committee to- inves-
tigate strike or hear the two
Sides" said a representative of the
Steel Workers to me, land If pend
ing the discussion the men agree
to go back to work, 1 can't see that
our Washington conference will
amount to anything"
So labor baked at the idea Of ad-
journing till Tuesday, baked at the
use of conference time to hear
speeches on extraneous subjects and
insisted on action on the steel reso-
luton. While Judge Gary doesn't
sit on the committee of fifteen, the
employers who do recognize that in
the steel strike is a principle vital
to them. They think they have the
steel workers beaten, and they think
that a clean-cut victory will come
if the strike goes on a while longer.
But the labor union men argue the
opposite.
They say their invasion of the
steel industry in the last two years
has progressed at such leaps and
bounds that ultimate victory is as
sured.
sumo has automobile rides. Also ne