The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-10-23

Although the representatives of both public and capital announced thefr intention of remaining fin tho confer ence, the next move in the effort to restore industrial peace to tho coun- try evidently rested with President Wilson. Mir. Lane will make personal report of the situation to the Prcrt- dent, but neither leaders In the con- ference nor officials generally would venture n prediction to what course Mir. Wilson would take. Meantime the conference will be cnIled together to- morrow. ns usual.
 Withdrawal of labor group was an- nounced by Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor. after a dramatic speech. It came only a few hours after Secretary Lane, sn an effort to prevent what many from almost the first had regarded as the inevitable. had read letter in which President Wilson. dictating from his sick bed, appealed Tor harmony in the conference and for final working ott of programme of industrial peace.
 Representatives of labor did not joia in the applause which greeted the let ter and MT. Gompers characterized as most unfortunate" a motion by John Spargo, of the public group. that each group pledge the President it would make every effort to accomplish rhs work for which the conference was called The motion was withdrawn and the conference recessed so the labor group could meet to determine it's fu- l ture course.
 LABOR RESOLUTION ! When the conference convened in the afternoon, the labor group proposed I the following resolution.
 '"rhe right of wage-eagners to or ganize without discSfinination. 10 bar gain collectively. to ne representegf as S Sre2rssent xes of seE 5gf oysn choosing I .n neEes attons ~ isl 4d5nsunents with employers in respect to wages, hours | of employment. is recognized" 1 Under a suspension or the rules. ths l resolution immediatefy was brought TO l discussion and vote. the labor and pub | lie groups uniting in its support on the roll call The majority against tho resolution in the capital group was one vote. but under the conference rules 1 this majority was sufficient to defeat 1 the resolution.
 | With the announcement of the re- suit MT. Gompers tol6 the conference ! the resolution had been rejected with l out right or reason. rejected on grounds so flimsy that the men sitting | lu the enplOyeTS' group, WILL nave ut1- flculty in explaining their action to 1 tbeir fellows In the world.'
 GOMPERS DEFIES EMPLOYERS
 "You have defeated the labor
 group in it's decIaration,1 declared
 the veteran labor leader. 'but we
 will meet you again in conference and when we do meet you there you will bc glad to talk collective bargaining.
 sI have sung my swan song In this conference. You have. by your
 action, IegisIated ms out of the gathering. We have nothing
 further to say, and 1t is with
 feeling of regret that we arc not
 able to remain longer. Our chief regret is the defeat of every fair propOsitien on our part. The die is
 east. We cannot remain ionGer.- representatives, of the four railroaA brotherhoods remained in the confer ence until the session adjourned, bu. they announced that they did so ''out of courtesy to the other delegates" and that they were in accord with the main body of the labor group.
 Before the labor delegates left the hall Mir. Spargo asked them not to make their decision irrevocable. but ta remain with the understanding that the conference would proceed to de- velop and formulate a general prc- gramme which will clearly define and establish the right of collective bar- gaining.
 Harry A. Wheeler, chairman of the employers group, in annosncing the intention of this group to remain here for further work, said capital repre- senta tives would not accept the ro- sponsibf1ity for breaking up the con tContinued on Page Eighteen.)