The Connecticut labor press., 1919-11-29
LABOR CONFERENCE
 NEARING THE END
 OF DELIBERATIONS
Delegates Are Disappointed Over Lack of Hospitality Shown
 in Washington.
SEE REACTIONARY TREND
Next Meeting May Be in Geneva. Say There Is More Progress
 in Other Lands.

Washington, Nov. 28-The Interna- tional Labor Conference, held under the Treaty of Peace, is ending its work. The United States, famed for decades for official hospitality, has failed to shake hands with the representatives of the % nations present. Never has there been such an unfortunate situation i'll American political history. Leading statesmen and economic experts of the world will go. home with an impression of the United States that would make the ordinary hospitable American ashamed.
 This conference IS composed of the "elect of the nations" senators, dip1o- mats, scholars, presidents of universi- ties, heads of great industries, indus trial experts, foremost labor leaders of Europe, doctors, historians Min isters of Labor. Most of them arrived i'll this country with the idea that the greatest democracy m the world" would have proved methods of deal ing with the universal labor problem which would furnish the key to the solution of difficulties obtaining i'll lesser and younger democracies. They found less development than at home.
 Moreover, they expected there would be national evidence of the high ideal
 
 the Peace Conference. Aboard ship wireless messages began to reach them regarding the failure of the first American Industrial Conference. Soon after their arrival the Senate began to assan the work of the con- ference, its purpose and aims, and soon passed a resolution which nulli- fled, so far as the United States was concerned, any recommendations the conference might make.
 THEIR HASTE EASY TO UNDERSTAND.
 In the meantime the conference hav- ing invited the United States as com pliment to designate one representative from labor and one from capital, the United States Chamber of Commerce did not find man to represent tEe em- p1oyers. Browning this was the adop- ton by the Senate of a resolution add ing a reservation to the Peace Treaty qualifying the participation of the United in the labor provisions of the treaty, and then finally the rejection of the whole labor section and the treaty.
 With the political cinema. in front of the visitors, it is easy to understand why there has been haste to finish the keen disappointment felt by the dis tinguished foreigners is yelled i'll the utmost restraint. They have had their round of international dinners and func- tions once they were taken to Mount Vernon, but the Department of State or Secretary Lansing, has made few advances, and Secretary Wilson has been pressed from every side by the exi- gencies in the domestic coal strike situation, the steel strike, the approach ing railway crisis, and no one knows the end.
 The conference is about to break up with the forced idea that the United States is not only inhospitab1e and ugly fortunately have been on the ground during what many think is the peak of the war reaction. It is hard for them to see what they are told; that the American people are not as baCksliding as the turn of events would make them seem. The conference unWittingly has revealed that the United States does not actually hold the lofty position in pro- gressive labor standards and industrial relations that has been commonly con- ceded for the past few years. The re- cital of conditions in other countries, as we'll as the documented statistics and questionnaires from the nations of the world, show that there has been a lot of talk about such progress in this coun- try and not so much accomplishment.
 MORE PROGRESS ELSEWHERE.
 Crusaders have gone from the United States to teach the heather of foreign lands that the hours of the worker is applying the eight-hour day to her agricultural workers, a thing derided and called impracticable, if not inn possible in the United States. Legis- lation for workers which already ob- tains in other countries appears on the statutes of but a few states here.
 No one who has followed the con- ference can fail to see its real mes sage. The Society of Nations will live. The rejection by the United States is disturbing, but the idea that took the President to Paris stands on its own feet and some at the conference say that when the United States does come i'll the league will be the stronger for having developed initial strength without her.
 The draft convention now reported by committees to the main body of the conference is going to be adopted. The principles of the eight-hour day, of better working conditions for women, of al1eviation of excessive night work, of restriction of the ex- p1oitation of children in industry, are going to be accepted with reservations by nations where climatic, typographical or retarded development make the in ternationa1 code unavoidable. But those nations, like Japan, that attach reserva- tions to the draft convention will have the goal set before them and the achievement for which the conference was cai1ed-a new international level of working conditions-wi1l have been de- termined
 The next meeting may be held at the va. In the meantime, or until accept ance of league membership, the United States will be the least democratic with relation to the world standards for workers, an anomalous and traditional1y untenahie position.