New-York tribune., 1919-10-21

people, has no special representation in
this conference, l deem it appropriate
to say that all labor should receive due
consideration. and that it is the obliga-
ton and ought to be the pleasure of
employers at all times and in every re-
spect to treat justly and lberaily al
employees, whether organized or unor-
ganiZed."
Samuel Gompers. who had listened
carefully to Judge Gary. was quick to
take the floor, charging that the state
ment read by the Judge was nothing
more nor less than the letter he ad-
dressed to his subsidiary companies
about month ago, and which has since
been made public property
Unjustified, Says Gompcrs
Taking up Judge Gary's definition
of the open shop, Mr.. Gompers termed
Mr.. Gary's position "hardly iustifable,"
and continues:
II am informed upon the authority
Of some newspaper men the statement
has been given out by the United States
Steel Corporation-perhaps by their
press agents-I do not know whom
that the strike is lost, and that the
men are coming back. I hope it is not
true; | hope that this strike may be
brought to a close with some under
| ,SeAA1Na'6' 'OAASe Va q uCRASc VI
fairness; but when I heard the story
that had been given to the newspaper
men it reminded me of the story of
the cat, which, with grin on its face,
articulated enough to indicate that it
has swallowed the canary. Sometimes
the canary may make indigestible food.
THE satisfaction that can come to
the United States Steel Corporation,
or any corporation of that character,
hot L y y
of thousands of men heretofore only
unorganized. or newly organized, by
reason of the fact that men have been
compelled to surrender because they
were too hungry to hold out, and by
years of employment have not been
able to lay aside sufficient that they
might hold out for few weeks, is not
creditable to the solicitude and the
patron character of those corporations
III saw few days ago a cartoon-l
do not know by whom it was issued;
my memory does not serve me from
whom it emanated, but there was a
leader, supposedly of the strikers-fat
and sleek and ugly as sin, with all the
vengeance and hatred depicted upon his
countenance, and, following him were
great numbers Of men and women, in
a parade of hungry, gaunt figures of
strikers and strikers wives. 1t is the
intent of the cartoonist to depict the
misery of the striker; and while | ques-
ton the accuracy of that picture, it is
the picture in the minds of those be-
hind the cartoon, who melted the car
tOon, and the figures in this hungry
horde of striking workmen and their
wives do no credit to the philanthro-
pists in these great corporations whose
great solicitude is for the unorganized
workers.
"Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, what
has occurred in this country, what has
occurred in other countries, if what has
ccurred in our own to-day affords any
opportunity for teaching, for under
standing, for learning, if it is no long
er necessary after delivering an utter
ance to vote in this conference, then
l am afraid that out of this conference
shall come nothing. I have lived quite
some years, and feel that there is not
an hour can go by but what there is
some piece of information, something
can learn. But if we are going to
employ the thought and the term Of the
standpat.er, the Bourbon who never
learned anything, why take up the time
of men who are engaged in affairs to
serve our people, the whole people,
serving the great common people Of our
country? We cannot improve the con-
dition of the superstructure of this
country unless we improve its foun-
dation, and upon the shoulders of the
great mass of the workers Of our coun-
try depends the great superstructure
of our American Republic"
Questioned later as to his view of
the situation, Mr.. Gompers said that
it was his philosophy to hope, but not