The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-11-24
JAMES SKETCHES
NOTED CONFEREES
IN WASHINGTON
Industrial Conference Called
Together Such Men as Or.
Elliott, John SpargO and
Judge Gary.
BY /. ?. ROBERTSON.

The unaffected charm OF Thackeray's
Roundabout Papers was suggested in
the discourse on his experiences and
the personalities Of his associates in
the public group o. the recent national
industrial conference, with which
George r. James entertained the diners
st the weekly forum of the Chamber
az Commerce FRIDAY afternoon. With
out effort at Evolutionary effects, but
with a granhic splicing Of metaphor and
aolorful intersection Of anecdote, MT.
James gave his auditors three-Quarters
at an hour of rare pleasure by his
description OF the Impressions gained
1t that historic bnt fruitless confer
ence IN his references to the person
Alities os his associates, Mr.. James
: WAS attempting to show broad differ
caces between the men and women
bsought together by the president to
represent the American public.
There was the venerable Or. FL
lott, president emeritus Of Harvard
University. II pictured him as the dean
uf all wisdom" said Mr.. James. His
wisdom shone like the sun among usi
AND his modesty was beautiful TO be-
nolo. lie told us frankly that We must
accept him as n simple theorist. He
rad spent. he said, all his life in the
studious contemplation Of affairs, rather
mar as 4 particiDator in them, and it
would be necessary for him to approach
an subjects which should come before
rhe conference as a theorist."
Next Mr.. James examined John
Spa-go, holding him up in contrast with
the inellowed mar of books. John
Spargo looked the part OF an anarchist
And was a socialist" he said. Il could
see that all the men and women of
u group were ~autagonistic toward
Mr.. Spargo. TieY looked upon him as
a radical: l did myself. But when we
eFnt Hnur1 IN ns5p yypr1- Ipha1 &na rTp nfg-
played a spirit Of service which moved
all OF US very deeply and compelled
our admiration. Spargo toileu in the
mines Of Wales when he was a boy Of
six years and eked out his education
against terrible odds. After having
grown up and come to the United
States, he often stood in the bread
ines in great cities to get his daily
food when work was slack and there
were not enough jobs to go around.
This man certainly had potent View
point of life"
Passing on to the head OF the great
United States Steel corporation, Mr..
James pictured Judge Gary as the
] Colossus of INDUSTRY the greatest en-
ployer Of labor in the world. Personal
w. he said. Judge Gary proved to be
a most kindly. lovable man; a man of
the most perfect integrity, trying to
be fair in all things
bplih ~ lNOShNlClNl > Jist lCBA GOtllth
to him, Mr.. James said, the persona
:. ~fication of wealth. 1.-THE great bur
den of his fabulous riches We're re-
Elected in every line of his features.
Ills face was eloquent of the sense OF
huge. overbearing responsibility which
his money imposed upon him. And
this rich man was one who could say.
What can we expect of men, what can
We hope from men whose identity rests
solely upon a number on a pay roll?
We must try to give the men who labor
something better than this"
Of the three women among the rs
men and women appointed to the pub
lict group of the conference by Presi-
dent Wilson. Mr.. James first consid
ered Miss Ida M. TarbetI. There was
Miss Tarbell," he said. "the woman
who had written books in which, with
great power and e~loquence, she had
attacked the steel trust and the Rookie
Teller interests"
Bernard NJ, .Baruch he characterized
as the greatest man whom the wal
produced jim 4 America; the CREATES
brain discovered in this country by
the war. There is something wonder,
fuE about the man he said. "Wher
president during the wal to serve OF
the war industries board Under Mr.
Baruch. he cleared the field for bust.
ness and started out to get our Co
Coeration in a singular way. Now lett
come to an understanding he said
I'm a jew gambler and always hav'
been. This fact having been estab,
lished, let's pass on to something i'm
portant'"
Mr.. Baruch's genius, he said, lay II
his wonderful ability to take a grouI
of people of the most divergent per
sonalities and organize them into a co
operative unit. He exercised this tai
4 ent in the industrial conference as strik
I ingly as he had in the war industrie
board. Mr.. James said. Mr.. Barucl
decided to give the public group o
the conference a dinner. He asked u
II we would not honor him by belni
his guests at dinner at the Shoreham
And ! thought, What can he do wit
this crowd? How can he make tn
lion and the lamb lie down together:
But he did. He sat Miss Tarbell dow
~ between Judge Gary and Mr.. Rookie
Teller. Then he fed EN-. | tell YOU h
is the GREATEST animal trainer of theI
I'LL"
Judge Gary and Mr.. Rockefeller In
Vited Miss Tarbell to give them sug
tine condition of their employees. Blu
knowing of the millions which they hal
srent in welfare work among the
workers." Mr.. James said, Miss Tar
hell declared there was nothing tina
sho could suggest, and the tear
streamed down her cheeks as she sal
it,
The industrial conference failed, MI
James stated, because the radical ele
ment in the labor group conferees in
sisted upOn a consideration of the Stee