Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-10-10
Capital Presents Program at Farley
FARLEY TO END
STEEL STRIKE
is PREDICTION
L a wrence Prophesies
Settlement of Contro-
versy By Conference.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.)
Especial to the Argus.)

Washington, D. c., Oct. 10.-All
the progress in the industrial peace
conference has not been and prob
ably will not be on the surface
Particularly is this true of the big
steel strike, which is a sort of
nemesis. So long as Judge Ebert
H. Gary, head Of the steel corpora
ton, sits at the table representing
the public and high-sourding prin-
ciples aiming to prevent strife be-
tween employer and employee are
proclaimed, the substance of which
are being denied in actual practice
by the steel corporation, labor isn't
likely to take seriously the pro-
LESSONS of the industrial confer
ence itself More or less as a test
of the sincerity and practically of
the conference. Samuel GOmpers,
president of the American Fedora
ton Of Labor, really presented
test when IA asked the industrial
conference to appoint a committee
of two from each of the three
groups at the conference-capitaI.
labor and pubiic-to whom should
be referred existing differences in
the steel industry for adjudication
and settlement" and that, pending
the outcome of such a conference,
all the workers be requested to re-
turn to work and the employers be
asked to reinstate them
Strike Settlement Predicted.
Judge Ebert Gary heard the res
olution read, but made no com
ment. Later on, when asked by
reporters. he declined to say any
thing. But the fact is. one is justi-
fed in being optimistic that a set
Element of the steel strike will
come out of the present industrial
conference. For be it known that
Judge Gary is constantly in the
company of people who are polite
ly and persuasively urging him to
consider the general situation in
the country and the necessity Of
showing a more conCiliatory dispo-
sition in the strike controversy.
Being surrounded by persons Of
influence. whose Judgment Mr.
Gary certainly respects, the tenor
Of their informal comments is
bound to be contagious and inspir-
ing.
Some there were like DR.. Charles
ward university, who doubted
whether present controversies or
even old bases of antagonism
should be considered. Rather he
believed that a new order, a new
set Of relations should be set up,
and that possibly present Difficult
ties in specific cases should not be
considered as germane to the con-
ference itself. All of which pro
duced a cynical expression on the
faces of the labor group, together
with a rather radical speech from
L. E. Sheppard, president of the
railway conductors, who talked
about profit-sharing and partici-
pating in management in every
thing from the wholesaler to the
to the retailer. His
doctrine was, however. individual
and did not reflect the views of the
American Federation Of Labor's
representatives Mr.. Sheppard said
at the outset that he was present
ing his own personal views. He
was particularly disturbed that the
Gill PIbN 5IOup uANAIl l nave IUGlI
proposals ready, but Thomas I,
ChadbOurne of the public group
put his finger on the difficulty when
he suggested that overnight the in
terests of the employers couldn't
be harmOnized in a single docu-
ment and that for his own part he
had come to the conference with
a plentiful supply of patience.
Prod Employers.
Nevertheless, other representa-
tives of the public group prodded
perfect their plans. John SpargO
seemed to think that there was
wrong with the rules
and that subcommittee should be
to which Chairman Lane
replied that already authority to
make such a subdivision of tasks
existed in the committee of 5. DR..
Eliot of Harvard had an idea, too.
that perhaps the conference hal
gotten off on the wrong foot by
keeping three distinct groups in
stead of harmOniZing, and Gavin
McNab of California jokingIy re-
marked that he favored union
izing" the conference, whereupon
Mr.. Chadbourne again insisted that
it would be miraculous If the three
groups could be fused effectively
so early in the session and that the
very purpose of the committee Of
Is containing five representatives !
o Teach of the three groups was to !
start the processes Of collabora-
ton.
There seemed to be much senti- |
ment in favor of making a COM
posite plan out of all the various
plans submitted to the conference
but for the present the different
schemes for adjusting labor diff
cuIties have merely been presented
and read in order that things might
get started and the true purposes
Of the conference developed.
Steel Situation Big Problem.
But while suggestions and plans
we're brought forward for future
the concrete thing that
came out of the labor group aside |
from the several propositions pre-
Continued on Page Fifteen.)