The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-09-24
President Wilson Says Ratifi-
cation Will Enable Work
men to Forget Labor
Clashes.
HE IS SILENT ON STEEL
His First Offer Spurned, But is VII.
ling to Act In Case Both Sides
Request His
Aid.
[By Hugh Baillie, United Press Staff
Correspondent

| [By Hugh Baillie, United Press Staff
| Correspondent
| ABOARD THE PRESIDENTS
TRAIN ENROUTE TO CHEYENNE,
Wyo., Sept. 24.-Ratification of the
peace treaty with its labor provisions
will enable men to forget war and
begin working toward industrial de-
mocracy which will prevent labor
! clashes like the present steel strike,
President Wilson believes today
/ This can be given as his attitude,
not toward the steel strike in par
! ticular, but toward labor difficulties
! in general, with regard to which he
/ Is pres erving an attitude Of absolute
| silence. Although there was no hint
from official circles, it may be stated
that Wilson having once already az
/ tempted to avert that strike, is dis
posed to wait until both sides are
/ ready to ask his aid. Then 1t Is prob
able he will propose an armistice un-
! til the industrial conference meets in
/ Washington, October 6.
! Wilson is firm in the belief that the
I"cooling off, process provided in the
league Of nations covenant for inter-
national differences can with good
| results be applied also to industrial
disputes and that If the representa-
! tiyes Of both sides will get together
and talk 1t over, settlement will
result.
Should labor ask his intercession
in the steel strike, Wilson's probable
! course would be to intimate to the
| employers that he is ready to act if
they also request it. There is feel
+! ing that the president did not like
| the manner in which his first offer
was spurned.
f! There is no doubt that Wilson re-
CARDS the steel strike as Of the utmost
seriousness. He has repeatedly
warned that labor unrest is spread
ing as result of delay IN bringing
about final peace and that this un-
rest is coming from Europe.
May Speak on Strike.
[By Hugh Baillie, United Press Staff
Correspondent
ABOARD PRESIDENT WILSON'S
TRAIN, RAWLINS, Wyo, Sept. "a
President Wilson's attitude in regard
to the steel strike probably will be
made known in a speech very soon.
He already has established a prece-
dent for such an utterance by con-
demning the Boston police strike in
several of his addresses.
When he takes up the steel strike,
the president is expected to declare
that when any faction refuses to sub
nit its cause to arbitration, to sit
down with the other fellow and talk
it over, that case is defective. He also
Is expected to condemn violence but
hot fhn hosip
which produce conditions leading to
strikes and violence cannot be elimi-
mated until peace is established by
treaty ratification.
Wilson probably will voice belief
that getting together of capital and
/ labor at the forthcoming industrial
conference would lead to settlement
Of the steel dispute. And he probably
will hint that If both parties signify
desire to have him act he will ar
I range an armistice in the strike until
the conference meets.
! Officials close to the president,
aboard his special train, preserved
| their attitude of silence with regard
to the strike. They refused any COM
ment on 1t and declined to hazard any
prediction as to what the president
| might or might not do.
Wilson slept late today. His train
was crossing sparsely settled territory
and there were but few people out to
see it pass.
After the Cheyenne speech this
afternoon, the president was sched-
uled to arrive in Denver quietly some
time during the night and so to his
hotel. But change in this plan was
under consideration whereby the
train would remain at some secluded
point outside the city until about nine
o'clock Thursday morning, to assure
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