Evening star., 1921-09-25
The Conference on Unemployment

yield to the frantic appeals of the
public. Early in that month Presi-
cent Roosevelt made a characteristic
move. He took the short cut and de-
cided that humanity and the public
interest were OF greater Importance
than private property or the rights Of
, labor. He notified both sides in the
long struggle that if they would not
agree to arbitrate and in the mean
time operate the mines and produce
coal the United States government
would step in and seize and operate
them for the public welfare.
President Roosevelt sent Carroll D.
Wright to John Mitchell, head of the
miners union, with this message, that
eff the workers will return, the Presi-
dent will appoint commission to in
vestigate and do all in his power to
| obtain settlement of those ques-
tions in accordance with the report
of the commission.
Several conferences were held, both
at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. in New
York, and at the old Arlington Hotel,
in Washington. which; due to an.acci-
dent to the President in Massachu-
setts. resulting in broken leg. was
made the temporary White House. The
night Of October Is was memorable,
for then occurred q midnight confer
ence between the President and rep
resentatives of the coal operators.
when the President, ID is said, used
very vigorous language. The matter
of arbitration was settled, and on
the following day final terms reached.
The famous anthracite coal COM
mission appointed by the President
| consisted of Brig. Gen. John NJ Will
SON. p. W. Parker. Judge George
Gray, E. E. Clark, Thomas II. Watkins
and Carroll D. Wright, acting as
recorder. The award was not made
until March 21. 1908.
First Industrial Conference.
4; The first industrial conference, in
the words of President Wilson, was
| to consider fundamental means of
bettering the whole relationship of
! labor and capital and putting the
whole question of wages upon another
footing" Membership in the confer.
ence was divided into three groups,
one representing capital. a second
labor and the third the general
public.
At the first meeting Franklin K.
Lane, Secretary of the Interior, was
made chairman. The meetings were
open and held in the Hall of the
Americas in the Pan-American build
ing. The hrst step TAKEN the,decision
to vote only by groups. started tfou-
BILE, and proved to be the rock on
| which the entire conference was
wrecked. a committee Of fifteen was
named to formulate a program and
steer the proceedings. :.
Soon Il developed that the real
fight was between the open and the
closed shop. and the matter of col
lective bargaining; and the situation
was made more difficult by the in
lection of demand by, the labor
group that the conference undertake
to arbitrate the then existing strike
of steel workers.
After feverish struggle of seven
days the conference on the 2sd of Oc-
tober Went to pieces. The labor group
withdrew. the employers group
dropped out, and the public group
alone remained on the scene of battle,
The report stated that the split came
over the Interpretation of collective
bargaining" Samuel Gompers said:
I'VE have Withdrawn and that ends
it." Bernard Baruch, chairman; of the
public group, said the conference had
"a brought the issue to the people,
l,(2l set the people thinking, go show
led the great difficulties, Is showed
the intimate relation between the
LEARNERS and 1.-THE sindustrials, Z y failed
.-% ~ % -sl ~