Omaha daily bee., 1920-07-13
Open Break Narrowly Averted
When Committee of 48 Finds
Ama|gamation Terms Of
Union Men Hard to Meet.
CONFERENCE HELD TO
OFFSET DIFFERENCES
Feeling Of Suspicion Among
Laborites Works Against
Coalition of Factions, Social.
ist Leader Declares.
By D. F. SULLIVAN.

Chicago, .Illy l2-For the second
time since it convened tine national
convention called together by the
committee OF As and IN session at
the Hotel Morrison today, threat
ened develop Frankenstein-hke
tendencies and turn upon its ere
ators.
This disposition was manifested
by he convention when obstacles
Ill the way OF speedy union OF
the conynlttee of 48, labor party
and other radical groups were raised
by the group OF eastern "intellectu
ais who had called the committee
OF 48 convention and have cor
trolled its deliverations to date.
This group, OF which J. A. H. Hop
klns, Amos Pinchot and George L.
Record are conspicuous leaders, late
this afternoon refused to consent TO
a proposal of American labor party
leaders for joint convention
the two parties.
4Sers Withdraw.
The result was there was a sudden
breaking UP of the Joint conference
between the committee OF IS "ocm-
mlttee of political procedure" and
the labor party constitution com
mittee," J." which has been in progress
SINCE Sunday. The 4S'ers withdrew
from the joint conference to hold
a caucus of their own. The labor
representatives remained in session
awaiting the decision of the 4S'crs,
They were finally Informed that
these had\ agreed upon a propose
ton to submit to the Laborites. The
nature Of that communication was
not made known.
The withdrawal Of the 4S'ers from
the JOINT caucus did not mean that
there was all actual breaking of OF
the negotiations between the two
conventions. 1t rather was taken
as an indication OF difference
about methods which might yet be
adjusted.
Were still hopeful" said John
Fitzpatrick, president of the Chi
cago Federation Of Labor and one
OF the labor conferees. as he await
ed the communication from the
46'ers.
"Of course. there are differences
between us, but | believe that we
believe in the same fundamentals.
1t would take four weeks for us
to reach complete agreement be-
tween groups composed of as MANY
different elements as are in our
two conventions, but I believe we
may get on common ground"
Speakers Are Cheered.
While the conferces were thus
temporarily at odds the conven-
ton of the committee of 4S was
loudly cheering speeches by labor
leaders, in which pleas for union
were made. Earlier in the day the
convention had appointed a com
mittee to call upon the labor party
convention to send two speakers TO
address the convention of the COM
mittee of 49,.
Duncan Mcdonald and w. F.
Rodriguez were selected as the la
sor orators and the sentiments they
uttered sent the convention wild.
AS far as | can see the onlv
difference between us is in the
badges, was one utterance which
was loudly cheered.
There. was even \greater enthu-
s'asm when he proposed:
Let us get larger hall and all
get in it together. There is still
some opposition to amalgamation.
but don't think it is serious"
1t was almost the precise propo-
sltion upon which the conferees
split. but the convention appeared
CanftnnAd r..