The Washington herald., 1919-10-11

pie of agreement between capital
and labor. And the employers spe-
cineally declare for equal pay for
pen and women in industry doing
the same kind of work.
In the matter Of the eight-hour
day there IL q broad basis OF agree
ment between the declaration Of Ia
Dor and that Of capital. Labor calls
1t the eight-hour day. Capital mere-
ly puts 1t differently In these words:
Hours Of work should be fixed at q
point consistent with the health of
the worker and his right to an ade-
quate period Of rest. recreation.
home life and self-development."
And specific declaration IL made
almost in the terms used by the la
Dor declaration against overtime
and in favor of zone day OF rest in
seven"
Here then. Is the situation: La
Dor demands the unfettered labor
union as its method of dealing with
the employers. Capital demands q
responsible union, an open shop and
the right to deal independently with
individuals. Capital and labor agree
on the right to strike and to lock
up the plant. But capital limits the
strike to the strike for grievances
and labor demands the right to the
sympathetic strike. Both denounce
the blacklist.
It Is upon these differences which
do not directly touch wages, shop
conditions. or hours Of service that
labor and capital in this conference
are splitting. Between the two stands
the public group. This group has
shown itself rather more inclined to
favor labor than capital
Barring one or two members OF the
public group. of which Judge Gary Is
type, there is considerable senti-
ment among the members of the
group representing the public in ia
vor OF the trades union; not perhaps
the trade union carried to the ulti-
mate. which Mr.. Gompers thinks Is
wise, but the national trades union
with certain privileges in any indus
trial plant not accorded to individuals
in the shop.
Both Denounce Blacklist.
This feeling Is among men OF power
in the group, men who stand high in
the financial world and In the political
world. And these men who are strong
men will be found trying to harmonize
NAAC uiNCASChl we" VI IAiC loDOl 6AoaP
and the employers.
But each group must yield some
thing. Labor must come out of its
trench. Capital must como out Of its
she'll There Is a reason to believe
that of the two groups the employers
are least contentious. Their declara-
ton Is not without its reservations. 1t
seems to go further than it goes, and
it seems to stick harder than 1t does
stick. That is because II is defining
principles. The labor declaration de-
fines no principles; 1t contends for
certain material things. During the
adjournment, both sides may see the
folly of a finish fight A finish fight
would be a loss to both sides. A
compromise Is possible in which both
sides may win.
Differ on Steel Strike.
The first actual rock that the In
dustrial Conference has struck Is
the demand of labor that the con-
ference go into the merits of the
steel strike. The resolution has
scme support among the public
group, but 1t is the chief desire of
labor. Labor stood and fought for
this resolution in the general COM
mittee Thursday and yesterday, and
did not get satisfactory result.
Eut some promise was made. For
the labor delegates voted unani-
mously for the adjournment until
Tuesday when every day counts in
the steel strike.
1t may be well to set out the
reasons for and against this action
on the part of the conference as
brought out by the debates in the
general committee. Labor main
tains that this is an industrial
peace conference; and that tho
tteel strike is a menace of indus
trial war which may go far be-
yond the limits of the steel in
dustry and involve the whole fab
ric of the nation. Labor has asked
that two members of each group
lie empowered to investigate the
demands of the strikers and the
contentious of the owners, and
cation the strikers will go back
to work Labor points out the
fact that it is asking no final set
tIement. merely depending upon the
fairness of the labor cause in the
steel strike to achieve results.
On the other hand, capital contends
that the conference is not assembled
to handle concrete cases; that the
longshoremen's strike is causing acute
suffering and is based upon a cause
more obviously just than the steel
strike, and is keeping millions OF
homes out of canned fruit by tying
up shipments of sugar from the is
lands of the South. Capital also points
to the laundry strike and declares
il the conference goes into the steel
strike it should take up the laundry
strike and any other Industrial dis
turbance that comes along.
1t is obvious that there Is no black
and white Of wrong or right on either
side of the contention. but much is
to be said for either position. Labor.
however. feels keenly that If the steel
strike is ignored the conference will
turn its back upon a practical and
typical case where grave wrong is
being done, which imperils the coun-
try, and that il the conference turns
its back upon this plea of the strik-
ers for investigation and publicity,
labor throughout the eountry-atNleast
organized labor-will lose its faith in
the conference, and that much of the
power OF the conference to enforce
its dictum upon labor hereafter will
be gone.
There Is real danger that the con-
ference may split irrevocably, not
upon the major issues as outlined in
the pronouncements of labor and cap