The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-10-20
CANNOT DELAY
CONFERENCE VIE
Representatives of Public Face
Fight to Keep National In
dustrial Conference in
session.
AGREEMENT UNLIKELY
Central Committee Of Fifteen Met All
Day Sunday and Again
Held Session That
Night.
[By Ralph f. Couch, United Press
Staff Correspondent

i b .
WASHINGTON, Oct 20.-The repre-
sentatiyes of the public today faced q
fight to keep the national industrial
conference In session. A vote on the
question Of collective bargaining can
not be delayed after today, in the opin
ion of most delegates.
Members OF the employers group IN
the conference early today indicated
they could not irdorse collective bar
, gaining resolution giving workers a
right to select outside representatives
in dealing with employers. Employers
contend they must be permitted to de
eide whether they shall deal with pro.
| fessional labor leaders in strikes.
Members Of the labor group hold the
conference might as we'll adjourn II
collective bargaining is not affirmed.
They made this clear Friday when the
conference adjourned until today to
give committees time to mediate the
difference Of the two groups, labor
Land capital. --sssS-s'
Committee and group sessions have
been almost continuous since Friday
afternoon.
Employers met all Saturday and
continued in session until 8 a. m. Sun
day The meeting was resumed Sun
day afternoon and lasted until late last
night.
The central committee of fifteen
met all yesterday and last night.
Agreement was not reached at any
meeting. committeeman said early
today. The central committee there.
fore is expected to report out the col
lective bargaining resolution without
resolution.
Labor members planned to demand
a vote immediately 1t has been post
poned a week. A vote now means a
defeat of the collective bargaining
resolutions, members Of the public
group think. Optimists in the group
early today were making plans to
stave it off If possible.
Judge Gary chairman of the United
States Steel corporation returned to
the industrial conference with a pre-
pared statement which he planned to
read at the morning session. He has
been IN New York since Friday where
he is reported to have conferred with
financial interests.
1t was learned that Gary's state
ment will be mainly reiteration ut
his previous position in the steel strike
during which he has refused to deal
with the unions.
Still In Caucus.
WASHINGTON, Oct 20-Employ
ers in the national industrial confer
ence were still in caucus on the ques-
ton of collective bargaining shortly
before noon today. Secretary Lane
therefore adjourned the morning
meeting of the conference which as
sembled at II a. M, since only the
public and labor groups were present.
The session lasted only five minutes.
The conference was to convene at
2:3O p. m, when vote was to be
taken on collective bargaining.
Employers have been IN group eau
Gus almost continuously since Friday.
The public and labor groups are
ready to vote in favor OF the collec-
tive bargaining resolution, members
say.
A negative vote by the employers
group will defeat it.
Labor men say they will quit the
conference if this occurs.
Collective bargaining, they declare,
must be conceded as right of organ
ized labor if the conference is to
go on.
Members Of the public group, fear
ing a break today. were making un.
usual efforts to hold the conference
in session.
The employers group delayed the
opening of the morning session of the
conference more than an hour while
it met to discuss the corrective bar
gaining resolution.
During this delay, Judge Gary,
Chairman Lane and Secretary Frank
Morrison, of the American Fedora
ton of Labor, held long conference
which began when they met inform.
ally in the hallway.
Fearing a complete brealc of the
conference by disagreement over col
lective bargaining, John Spargo and
other members of the public group
planned to try to keep the confer,
ence in session by a motion to lay
on the table all matters before the
conference. They planned to intro
SCoUt1ulIed an uRRe "a wy