The labor standard., 1919-09-01
CHICAGO CONFERENCE PLANS
 FOR NATIONAL LABOR PARTY
Delegates Present From Labor Parties in New York, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, South Dakota and Connecticut - Non-Parti- san League Also Represented

Connecticut delegate to tke Chicag' conference called for the purpose O. organizing national Labor Party has returned to Hartford. MT. Ben nett is very enthusiastic and mucl gratified with the result of the con ference and makes the following re port:
 August IS, 1919, was the Big Day
 On that day, the Chicago Confer ence voted unanimously, amidst thu greatest enthusiasm, to form na tional Labor Party.
 But I am getting ahead of my stor! and want the readers of THE LABoI STANDARD to get the whole tale from start to finish, from Hartford to Chi cago and back again.
 On Saturday the 17th l motored tt Springfield as I was going to Chicago on the Wolverine, a train which usec to be one of the star performers II linking up the east with the west. As I was boarding the train at 4:37 in the afternoon, the porter asked me if had had lunch and went on to say that they were stopping there fifteen min utes for lunch.
 I did not get the full significance o1 that remark until later when was in formed that, owing to the Shopmen's Strike, there had been no diner on the train and would be none until the next morning.
 The train, which had always beer sort of prize exhibit, was dirty and at least one of the cars did not look as though it belonged to the makeup of the proud Wolverine. All was ex- plained and excused, however, by ref erence to the Shopmen's Strike.
 This was my first practical demon stration on the trip of the power of labor, but others were to follow.
 We arrived at Albany just before nine o'clock in the evening, after a beautiful run through the Berkshire Hills. And here, by dint of hard run ming and carefully laid plans, l man. aged to secure some sandwiches and fruit. It reminded me very strongly of my early travel days when trains used to stop "ten minutes for refresh ments." f belled tschicken" and carefully charged for as chicken, but to my surprise and dismay, found that they were ham and very rancid ham at that.
 Arrival in Chicago
 I arrived in Chicago Sunday after noon and found it very busy for Sun day afternoon. All amusement places were open and running full blast ex- cept one theatre which had just been struck by the Actors Equity Associa- ton, the actors organization affiliated with the A. F. of L. More about this later.
 Two things surprised me from the first in Chicago. Compared with the East, especially New York, the hotel and restaurant profteers had not got ten so very busy. The price of rooms was lower and the price of meal was lower. Also I heard practically noth- ing about the race riots concerning which our capitalist press has told us so much.
 Opening of Conference
 Monday morning at ten the Confer ence gathered on the sixth floor of 166 West Washington street, the head quarters of labor in Chicago. The meeting was held in the Conference Room of the Illinois Federation. Dun can Mcdonald, chairman of the Hi nois Labor Party and president of the Illinois State Federation of Labor, Alice Randolph, vice-chairman, and Frank Esper, secretary. About forty five people were present of whom about thirty were accepted as dele gates and given right to participate in the action of the Conference. From first to last, however, the proceedings were quite informally conducted and even those who might be regarded as merely fraternal delegates took a leading part in the discussions.
 Those Represented
 There were present from the Non T,nq fUn man high up in the councils of the League. There were many women present, several of whom took the floor upon various occasions and put up mighty good arguments for and against various propositions. There were delegates from Labor Parties in New York, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Kansas, South Dakota and Connecti- cut. The North Dakota Labor Party sent no delegate as it has not yet been formally organized. Credentials of delegates from Pennsylvania and Cali fornia Labor Parties were received but the delegates were unable to be present. There was an old farmer and workers from many crafts. It was a crowd representative of many sections of the country and of many viewpoints but we were there with one common purpose-to form a na- tional Labor Party. From first to last there was never a moments doubt or hesitation. A national Labor Party was going to be formed and we were there to form it.
 The Opening Gun
 There was first about an hour of general discussion during which we finally shook ourselves down for regu- lar action.
 The opening gun in actual business consisted in the appointment of a com nlittee to report on "order of busi- ness". While this committee was at work, the informal discussion con tinued. The committee then made it's report.
 Acting upon the advice of the com mittee on "order of business, the unanimously in favor of forming a
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