Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-02-21
What Was Done at the Omaha Congress

The following resolutions, adopted
unanimously by the delegates at the
Transmississippi Readjustment con-
gress, epitomize the declarations of
the group meetings which have been
held.
The groups submitted Us resolu-
tons TO the clearance committee
which codihed those expressions
into 10 resolutions.
Francis A. Brogan, chairman of
the clearance committee, read the
resolutions to the congress. Frank
O'Dell moved their adoption as
whole, and ". j. Robinson of Mon
DAMN, Ia, seconded that motion.
League of Nations.
We endorse the principle of a
league of nations, We believe it TO
be the duty of the public men of the
United States to cooperate in Sc
curing the adoption of the moderate
and practical plan presented to the
Paris conference.
Unemployment Of Soldiers.
We believe that both public and
private agencies should show the
same concern for the restoration of
the discharged soldier to his normal
place in the economic society that
was shown in Inducing him into the
military service. One of the prime
reasons for setting in motion the
wheels of trade and industry should
be to furnish employment for those
who entered the army and the navy
to take part in the war, as well as
those who engaged in unaccustomed
war industries and are now out of
employment. While the readjusting
process is taking place in private in
dustry, effort should be made to
promote public work by the federal
government and by the state and
municipalities.
In order that the municipalities
may be enabled to proceed with the
work of reconstruction that must be
met by local assessment in the cities
we urge the railroad administration
to recede from its policy of refusing
TO meet such local assessments on
railroad properties in the cities
where required by state laws.
We also urge the enactment of
federal legislation for the reclama-
ton of the arid and waste lands in
the public domain and the enactment
Of state laws, whereby the returning
may be given employment
in the preparation of such lands for
settlement and provided with assist
ance to make permanent homes
when the reconstruction period is
passed.
Resumption of Industry.
We do not favor a pause in the
industrial process to await some flu
ture readjustment of wages and
prices of staples. SO far as public
Improvements are concerned they
should be resumed at once. 1t is
better that the public should absorb
the increased cost, if any should
hereafter appear, than that general
unemployment and consequent dis
aster and social disorder should
follow.
We believe, also, that the promo
tors of private construction and
business enlargement should take
heart of courage and should believe
in the immediate resumption of bus
mess prosperity in the United
States. There is no place in the
American scheme of things for the
pessirnist or the doubte-. Our coun-
try today leads the world in pros
peri0. 1t can lose its leadership
only by its own faint-heartedness.
We especially deprecate any CON
certed holding back If construction
and business resumption for the
purpose of forcing a reduction in
wages or cost of material.
Good Roads.
Both as a means of stimulating
the resumption of industry and re-
moving the shadow of unemploy-
ment from the working people, and
also to serve the broader and more
permanent purpose Of supplement-
ing the railroad lines and to develop
the inland and farm commerce of
the country, the work of construct
ing good roads should be promptly
carried on by the cooperation of
the federal and state governments
and local communities.
Labor.
The change in business conditions
makes it more than ever necessary
to establish peace and harmony be-
tween labor and capital. To this
end there should be conferences and
mutual discussions of the difficulties
that arise. The leading representa-
tives of capital and labor should
work out this problem together. We
do not believe that any creed con-
structed by labor or capital alone,
without consultation with the other,
can reach a solution of these diff
culties. The remedy cannot be
found BY one alone, but can be
reached only by mutual discussion
by both. We believe that the enr-
ployer should study and understand
the viewpoint of labor; and that
labor likewise should learn the
problems of the employer. Fhe,pub-
lie has a right to demand that a
remedy be found by the interested
parties themselves, so that the en-
nifty and hostility Of the past will
cease, and labor and capital shall be
naf4ners in Industry and nor