The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-10-15
DANGER IN RACE
FOR CONTROL
Fate of Millions Of People This
Winter Hinges on Con.
ference Decision.
NOT AGREED
WILLIAM ALLEN VI

washington, Oct 10 : ndus-
trial conference will not lie the
steel strike, but there is : laJority
in each group in the !: ence to
put through a plan fs : ldustrial
| cancellations. The ma clearly
favor adopting this at once.
| That was the obvious, results of
yesterdays conferen{ took all
day to get this fact out. The rules
Of the conference, which closely re-
semble the rules of the all-Russian
| council, and which gave the minor
| ity great powers, make it possible to
| spend the whole day reading motions,
| adjourning. discussing the motions in
| secret by groups, and coming back
| into the conference to record votes.
| And only after o'clock did the open
conference hear any debate upon the
| matter which should have been be-
fore the house all day. The debates
in the various groups were held be-
hind closed doors. In the public group
1t was possible for class conscious
feeling of certain employers to mani
| fest itself more frankly than it could
do upon the open floor. And the mem
bers of the public group who were
not employers, felt that open meet
, 1ngs of the group would facilitate
business. After the debate in the
open conference began, McNabb, of
California, representing the public,
! asked' that the whole matter be post
poned until Friday, and that no action
be taken on the steel strike until then.
1t was his hope to muster the ma
| jorities in all the groups behind
plan for industrial Cancellation which
should be made the supreme court of
labor and capital.
Purpose Of Court.
The supreme court of labor and
capital was to be the court of appeal
from the various shop councils and
trades and craft councils, which the
more liberal members of the confer
ence feel should be established. When
the McNabb resolution was defeated,
Dr. Charles Eliot, president of Har-
ward, started to read resolution en-
bodying exactly the same idea of
supreme court of labor to be built
up in the shop and trades councils.
He declared that his resolution had
received the assent of the public
group. This was denied by Mr.. For
rester of that group, representing
the railway clerks. But undoubtedly,
DIR. Eliot believed that his resolution
hadNreached the assent of the pub
lie group ana it is certain that
similar resolution has been so gen.
orally assented to in the group that
the sentiment carries a considerable
majority of the public group.
Can Steel Strike Wait.
The labor group is committed to
this conciliation court and the en-
ployers group, in its declaration of
principles, formally has asked for it,
and there can be no question but that
the conciliation court will be put into
whatever plan finally is adopted
There is some fear, however. that Ia
Dor being defeated in it's desire for
an immediate arbitration for the steel
strike, may leave the conference. Yet
in spite of the fact that the confer
ence is against arbitrating any par
ticular strike, the conference will set
the machinery in motion in few
weeks for arbitrating all strikes, but
it is a question whether or not the
steel strike can wait The steel strike
seems dangerously likely to pass out
Dor into the hands of the l. w. w.
which takes all cases of extreme
units in industry and organizes the
one big union.
Gompers Sees Danger.
Gompers pointed out this danger in
his speech and he feels it keenly. He
feels, as conservative labor feels, that
if the |. w. w. is working even with
the fact of a defeated steel strike the
radicals will be a menace to a peace
full, orderly settlement for the blum
inous coal strike and the threatened
railroad strike and the other indus
trial disorders which will arise if
labor does not accept wholeheartedly
the plan outlined by the council.
There is a strong faction in organ
lied labor urging Gompers to hold the
confidence of the men by leaving the
conference. But he seems inclined to
wait-to try for the quick establish
nent of court Of conciliation in
time to have it operative upon the
steel strike. And there is the tug OF
war. The extreme reactonary wing
of the employers feels that if they
can break organized labor in the
steel industry the defeat will weaken
it in other industries. Hence, that
winq is trying to postpone to the last
minute the inevitable court of concili-
alton, which is clearly the heart OF
the conference.
This element realizes that it is in
a minority in the conference. but the
rules are made for minorities. If this
minority can delay action until the
steel strike is in the hands Of the
T oh fn