The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-10-25
MISSED
GREAT VICTORY
Washington espondent
Gives Inner Story of Public
Capital Conference.
(Bo WILLIAM G. SHEPHERD,

Washington, Oct. 25.-Q. N. 81
Labor almost whipped capital at the
industrial conference in Washington.
| have had access to the affairs o.,
the public group in the conferences,
and have secured all the information
that the memebrs Of the labor group
themselves could have gained from
the public group. The story OF the
inner affairs Of the public group is
the real story of the conference.
In the first place, if labor had not
insisted on the group voting system
it might hate won gigantic victory
at the conference. The employers
would have found themselves help
less, except for the group voting sys-
tenn which labor demanded.
Gompers' final resolution recognize
ing the right of labor to organize
without discrimination" carried the
conference by 81 to 9 votes. Taking
votes by heads, the labor men would
have carried the conference in face
of things, by vote of over s to l..
1t is true that. except for group vot-
ing some of the less liberal members
of public group might not have cast
their vote with labor, but it is certain
THAT the ldDOT IltttSule Woulu nave
carried the convention by at least
to I. ,a. scJ8 g,.s.s IL.
The thing that stuck In the crop OF
the labor group was nothing that
happened in the conference itself. The
labor men heard Of dramatic scens
which occurred in the country man
sion of Judge Ebert n. Gary on Long
Island during the first weekend re-
cess Of the conference.
After the conference had been in
session a week without arriving at
any decision regarding Gompers'
resolution demanding arbitration of
the steel strike, Thomas Chadbourne.
of the public group, and Bernard
Baruch, chairman of the group. made
up their minds to put the steel issue
directly up to Judge Gary. On Sun
day morning, Oct. 12, Thomas Chad
bourne went to the Long Island home
of Judge Gary and, in an exciting
two hour session set forth plan for
the settlement of the strike.
Chadbourne's Plan.
The plan was this:
Judge Gary was to permit his en-
ployes in the steel plants to elect rep
resentatives by secret ballot without
reference TO union lines.
Judge Gary was to meet these rep
resentatives for arbitration. All
points that could not be settled
would be turned over to committee
chosen from the industrial confer
ence made up of two members from
each group.
The labor group in the Washing
ton conference had agreed to this
nrnnncitinn tho hiOpnct
cession that the American Federation
of Labor has ever made to the shops
council system. 1t was a concession
that was made secretly and that
never came to light because the vot-
ing on the measure was never made
public.
Judge Gary Paced Room.
Judge Gary was told by Chad
bourne that the labor group would
agree to the plan, and that the Amer
lean Federation of Labor men did not
insist that the steel strikers choose
A. F. of J.. men to represent them.
The federation leaders would be will =
ing to leave the fate of the strike in
the hands of any representatives who
were chosen by the men.
Judge Gary, it is said, paced the
room in spirit of violence He had
said at the conference in Washington
that he could not arbitrate with mem
bers of union labor. Chadbourne's
plan gave him the chance to nego-
tiate not with organized labor, but
with representatives of shops coun-
ellis.
The Sunday morning session in the
Long Island home proved beyond all
doubt that Judge Gary would not ar
bitrate the steel strike with anybody.
When Gary returned to the confer
ence the next Tuesday Gompers and
his colleagues knew that their con-
cession had been refused.