The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-16
FAMOUS WRITER IS
IN B|RM|NGHAM To
GET STORY ABOUT
INDUSTRIAL STATUS
Carl w. Alderman, Who
Spent Years Abroad as
War Correspondent, Is
Now Touring the
United States
by HENRY b. GRAY. JR.

Carl W. Alderman, well known writer
and newspaper correspondent. arrived in
Birmingham yesterday to investigate the
labor and industrial conditions in the
city and county. Mr.. Alderman is just
completing a six weeks trip through the
west, northwest and south to gain a
comprehensive idea of the relations be-
tween labor and capital throughout the
country.
Mr.. Alderman represented the New
York Times in Germany during 1915 and
1916 leaving Berlin when the United
States representatives there were re-
called. The next two years were spent
in Switzerland, where he wrote a series
Of articles for the Saturday Evening
Post dealing with internal conditions in
Germany and Austria, so he is consid-
cred eminently fitted for his present in
vestigation.
His present trip is the result of the
feeling of uneasiness over the labor sit
uation that is apparent in the east.
Due to the continued activity OF the rad
icals in Detroit. the race riots in Wash
ngton and Chicago and the general feel
ing of unrest that seems to cover the
entire country, the Philadelphia Public
Ledger syndicate is sending Mr.. Ack-
erman to all sections of the country in
order that he may get first hand infor-
nation by seeing both employers and
employees in all the big industries, in
Guiding cotton, STEEL meat packers and
others and to try to ascertain If there
is any possible basis for CO. operation
between capital and labor.
STRIKE BETWEEN FACTIONS
When seen yesterday at the Tutwile1
he made some very interesting remarks
vh~% ~ No. l4a ~ v~e-r
of his trip. According to Mr.. Alderman
the situation differs in various parts OF
the country. East Of the Mississippi
from the Illinois coal fields to Michi-
gan, Indiana and Pennsylvania, the con
ditions are very bad. The strength OF
the unions is increasing; the manufac-
tlrers are opposing labor with every
BILE means; there is constant strife
between both factions.
"West of the Mississippi we find things
| just as bad in certain localities" he
said I'm the Dakotas, Wyoming and
| Montana the socialists grow stronger
every day, and their organization is al
most perfect. And we are all familiar
with the fight that has been waged in
Seattle against the Reds and I. w. VS.
In Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska
conditions are exactly the opposite. ant
no one could wish a better sitpation;
everyone is contented and production i:
at high tide
Mr. Alderman says that he calls Kan.
sas the heart of the United States,
conditions are so perfect.
"On the coast a rather unique situa.
| ton presents itself" he continued
"Since 1916 the Mooney situation ha,
been bone of contention, with labo
! taking the side of Mooney. Today il
San Francisco both labor and the man
ufacturers seem perfectly satisfied, while
! in the rest of the state 1t is still a bi,
issue. In Frisco the manufacturers ant
! the Chamber of Commerce think thai
the unions should be strengthened; il
Los Angeles the reverse is true; tn,
manufacturers association is Opposing
| labor in every direction.
LOS ANGELES CONDITIONS BAT
IAN interesting sidelight on the Lo
| Angeles situation is this: Cotton is be
| ing successfully produced in Lower Cali
| fornia and Mexico. and as a result many
large concerns are building plants ther'
| to take advantage of this fact Blu
there is further and more significan
reason: Los Angeles stands for an oper
ship; it is fighting unions tooth and mai
and will continue to do so. All in all
conditions there are probably worse thar
| in any other city in the country
! Mr.. Alderman feels. however, that tn,
general situation is not so bad as man,
! believe. Far sighted employers ant
conservative unions realize that thing
can't go on as they have for the pas
| few MONTHS he said. They realiz
| that as long as there is opposition Their,
will be strikes. The chief need now il
| to get together and arrive. at som
! defininte agreement. There is not tn
! slightest danger of a revolution SO lon
as there is a tendency on the part o
both to get together. At the presen
time the most important thing is t
postpone all strikes until after the labo
conference in Washington. Then it will
be up to the labor conference to brin.
about a satisfactory compromise be
tween capital and labor. This can b.
done. There is a widespread desire TO
cooperation between the two parties:
| has been worked out by many individ
ual organizations and it can be done ma
tioi.al'v. Now everyone must work t.
avert strikes. for each strike make
matters worse and brings us nearer t
the conditions Of 1908, when capita
dominated labor
When asked what the the general feel
ing throughout the country is in regar
to the peace treaty and the League o
nations. Mr.. Alderman said that he fel
that the country at largs is still for tn
treaty and the league without reserva
tions. but that the Republicans are IN
questionably gaining strength every dS
as result of an exceptional organize
ton.
Mr.. Alderman leaves tonight for At
lanta, where he will stay one day. Fror
Atlanta he returns to Philadelphia, stop
ping a few hours at Newport News e
route to look into the shipping situation
Mr. Alderman has recently writes
a book on Russia growing out of hi
obseIva tons there.
people wonder why the bolsheviki
a minority. are able to retain tnei
power" said Mr.. Alderman. 1T i
because the opposition to them within
Russia cannot be united and all ef
forts to unite it have failed; 1t is be
cause the allies have been unable I
agree on a policy to pursue towar
them from the outside. and lastly
is because the bolsheviki have unlimit
ed money.
They captured all the banks. The
captured the imperial plates for MAX
ing the cars money. They got hol
of the Kerensky plates and then the
have their own plates for printing boil
shevist money. They are printiE'
them all by the millions of rubles 8