Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-10-24
ooMpERs IS RIGHT.

uG WdAAout VI tho i"ooA ooiee"'SS
headed by Samuel Gompers. presi-
dent of the American Federation of
Labor, from the industrial conference
1T Washington. may precipitate
crisis between capital and labor in this
country unless quick action is taken to
close the rapidly widening breach. In
this instance labor stood on its rights
and was in the right. Capital is in
the wrong. Refusal to give recogniza-
ton to labor to bargain collectively,
will be taken, over the United States,
as an s.ffront against the men who toll
and as a refusal to recognize them as
an essential part Of industry.
The walkout came when the con-
ference defeated by small margin the
resolution offered by the labor dele
gates: "The right of wage earners to
organize without discrimination. to
bargain collectively to be represented
by representatives of their own choos-
ing in negotiations and adjustments
with employers in respect to wages,
hoh-s of labor, and relations and con-
ditions of employment is recognized"
Defeat of this resolution indicates
that the capital representatives in the
conference are not keeping time with
modern progress. They are travelling
on narrow guage track-not on the
wider track that tends to give recogni-
production. When labors demands are
unfair and unjust we are as willing to
condemn them as anyone else, but when
labor seeks to exercise right to or
ganize, to be represented by repre-
sentatives of their own selection, to
negotiate and arbitrate the improve
ment of working conditions and dis
putes, we are as prompt to in6orse the
principle involved.
President Gompers was right In his
demands on the capital representatives
at the conference. II have sung my
swan song in this conference" he in
formed them after the defeat of the
resolution. you have by your action
legislated US out of the gathering. We
have nothing further to say, and it is
with feeling of regret that we are
not able to remain longer" So the
labor delegates walked out.
If he is able to bring back these
labor representatives and affect fair
compromise of the situation, President
Wilson will indeed perform a great
duty to his country. The national stu
alton is not at all promising. From two
hundred thousand to a half million
steel workers are now on a strike;
nearly a half million coal miners
threaten to desert the mines; the rail-
road brotherhoods made up of over
million men propose to get settle
ment of their differences with the rail-
road administration before the rail-
roads are turned over to their owners
end IL they do not. will strike; there
Is widespread labor unrest in many
industries.
The action taken at the Washington
conference will have an important
bearing on the labor situation. As the
recognized head of the American Fede-
ration Of Labor, President Gompers
owes 1t to the members of that great
organization and to the nation as well,
to endeavor to bring about a peaceful
settlement of the labor dispute and
should bend every effort to that end
His activity along that line will bring
. him greater support and wider in
dorsement than IL he refuses to at
tempt to use his influence to close the
gap that now stands between labor and
ccpital.. Here indeed is an opportunity
tor Mr.. Gompers to show his bigness