Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-09-20
WASHINGTON PUZZLES
OVER NEW EQUATION
The Saving of Compers Equals he Putting the Whole Wage
Question Upon Another Footing Is Theorem
in Which President Figures
BY CLINTON w. GILBERT
star Correspondent Of the Evening Public Ledger

Washington, Sept. 20.-This is a dis
cussion Of the latest Washington equa-
ton, to wit: The saving of Gompers==
"the putting the whole wage question
upon another footing
Or IL you like it better. state the
equation this way: The saving Of Com
pers - "the characterization of indus
try"
There isn't any express official au-
thority for either equation. Not the
slightest, but much implied. There is
never an official authority for equating
Woodrow Wilson's language with
state of facts; at least, not till after
the facts have developed. There wasn't
any authority for equating his language
before the Peace Conference with the
peace that the conference created. But
there is tie language and here is the
peace. though, to be sure, the President
sometimes interprets the peace one way
and sometimes another, as in Article y,
where the council sometimes constrains
and sometimes advises"
And here is, or soon will be, the labor
conference on October 6. The language
il quitting the whole wage question on
another footing" or the ''democratiza-
ton of industry Presumably, these
two phrases can be equated. They are
both large, vague and Woodrowian.
And there is the seeming intention to
save Gompers ; it is the only seeming in
tention Of the conference so far as
personalities are concerned. All the
machinery created for it has been Gre
ated for the purpose so far as the most
diligent inquiry here in Washington
seems to show. of preserving the com
mon channel. in which the twin minds
of the President and the chief of the
Federation of Labor, according to the
, Buffalo confession, run so COM :
modiousN.
What the Equation Signifies
These five we equate, at least, till
after the failure has shown the answer
, to the example in the back of the book.
Thus: The saving OF Gompers - "the
putting the whole wage question on
, different footing" 'the democratiza
ton of industry election of an
other Democratic President in succession
: to Woodrow Wilson=the launching un =
der favorable auspices of the interna
tional government of the world through
the league of nations=anything large
that the mind Of man conceives in the
way of phrase.
: And as we are saved by phrases, the
, "truce" is of happy promise and tho
conference is another proof OF tho
Presidents leadership.
'. Mathematics is a greSt aid in teachin.
Il us where we are going in Washington
how fast and how happily. You put
down the latest phrase around which
I truce is built-the armistice terms
y which public opinion accepts - ant
:. alongside of it you put the known fac
y into which the phrase will, it is hoped
Il cventuate; you put an equals sigI
between them and you know-as mucf
as Mr.. Wilson knows of where we arr
going and how we are going to ge
II there.
Gompers Must Be Preserved
o The immediate thing to do is to save
n Mr.. Gompers. Mr.. Gompers. one ant
q inseparablc, he must and shall be pre-
: served.
To save Mr.. Gompers you call con
ference. l do not wish to rob the Pres
ident of the credit of inventing this
idea, but the truth is that at least on'
CONGRESSMAN, whose name escapes me
and one senator, Jones, proposed il
y resolutions to call a conference.-the saw
n Mr.. Gompers-long before the Presi
't dent did, and they only just succeeded
W in beating 400 other congressman an,
'e ninety odd other senator's to it will
70 their proposals.
l. When things threaten. call confer
" ence. 1t is like the old rule of Hoyl
it on whist, "When in doubt, lea
trumps.'
I, Presidents Voice Loudest
r. But in the calling of conferences tn
r. President has all the advantage. II
IN calls with the loudest voice. Besides
7 be uses up all the best wOrds-lik
characterization of industry" put
ting the whole wage question upon an
l.. other footing" recognizing the neN
IN Importance and dignity of workers i
in the direction of industry-as Roosevelt
= used to say, seeing to it that there wa
ne square deal for all. !"
m One of the prerogatives of the Execu
= tive is the best words and phrases. |
ee is not recognized in the constitution. !
pr Is one of the recent Executive aggran
/. dizements. When the Executive calls til
&c ration listens, not when Senator Jone