The sun., 1919-10-23

which is not expressed; but submit to
| the conference that that is not a fair
way to receive any proposition made be-
fore this conference by one of the three
groups Of which the conference is COM
posed"
The question was then demanded and
Chairman Lane put the vote. The pub
lie group asked for a recess for with
drawal and 1t was granted.
Upon Its return the group voted In the
Affirmative. the employers group voted
mo" and the labor group Yes"
| Gompers Then Speaks.
It was then that President Gompcrs
spoke. He said In part:
II feel 1t incumbent upon me at this
tuncture to ask that may be heard in
connection with the present situation.
As I stated or tried to state upon our
convening early this afternoon, when the
group Of which / am a part felt i'm
pressed very deeply with the urgent re-
quest of the President and under its
influence prepared for submission to this
conference resolution which by the
vote of the employers group has been
rejected. The situation thus created can
bring satisfaction to no man. II Is re-
grettable far beyond what words can ex-
press. It Is regrettable from every view
point.
Earlier in these proceedings took
the opportunity of stating that the en-
ployers by the attitude that they have
assumed In this conference are placing
themselves exactly in the same position
| as the I. w. w. in the United States.
The employers are against the labor
group-not the employers Of America,
but the employers group represented
in this conference have put themselves
on record as against agreements with
wage earners as such.
"The l. w. W. in It's propaganda and
its documents. in it's literature, in It's
declarations. have taken the position
that the workers should not enter into
agreements with employers. The posi-
tion in which the employing group mas
placed the employees Of America is not
an enviable one."
Preamble Of I. w. w.
THE preamble of the I. w. w. organi.
zatfon has for It's sentence this: The
working class and employing class have
nothing in common Having nothing
! In common they do not seek agreement
they do not seek a conciliation. they
do not seek collective bargaining. They
seek the opportunity of taking advan.
tdSc III cNcfy ppportunlty WhlCH may
present itself In order that the mo-
ment to bring about not only advantage
but at any moment to break the exist
ing arrangement or understanding &C
fight for another and to declare as o
fundamental principle OF its tenets the
! confiscation OF the property Of those
who have property.
American organization of workers
have undertaken their movement sc
that there shall come into the move
ment the conditions of the toiling masse.
OF workers.
IT admit that our movement is no
, perfect. But I submit that there is no
single voluntary organization In thi
or any other country which has con
tributed SO much to a constructive polio,
, within rational lines as has the Ameri
, can trades union movement. This tn,
employing group has rejected. Tn,
, declaration which we have proposed Il
, rejected and repudiated by the employ
ing group.
| They want shop organizations, tn,
employers union. II they can get ava!
{ with it. why. that is their Job. II the!
| can; but they are building upon quick
sand. They are resting their hope upoI
fimsy ground and one which will no
take long to turn upon them in thei
, benevolent and solicitous attitude towars
the workers In their employ,
, The shop organizations. the employ
ers union Of workers. never bring an,
, one anywhere. 1t may be held by EN-
ployers that their worlmen are con
, tented. Perhaps in 30 far as they ar
!, concerned they know the workers ar
,, contented, but the contentment Is jus
: something like the people of Poland wer
content They were content at tho poin
OF the bayonet there. and in the indus
, trial plants they are content at the poin
|. of starvation. I do no mean the starva
tion that brings about the want 70
bread
B "The word spoken here by the vot
r Of the employers group settles nothing
: You have defeated labor in its declara
E tion here, but we will meet you agail
! and we will meet you in conference ant
you will be just as glad as we shall b
to meet you in that conference for col
. lectiye bargaintnR"