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shall be submitted to a commission composed of three men to be appointed by the President of the United States, and which shall be representative of each side with the third member to act as umpire whenever necessary. This committee shall, during the three years of truce, serve as adjusters or referees in all disputes (whether individual or collective) affecting wages, working and social conditions.

"Said commission shall devote primarily all the necessary time to the consideration and adjustment of such disputes.

"6. It is understood as a condition of the creation of said commission that during the life of the truce:

"(a) The claim for contractural relations is to be waived, but this shall not prevent the voluntary agreement between any employers and their employes during the life of this truce.

"(b) No mine guards to be employed, but this does not preclude the employment of necessary watchmen.

"(c) In the establishment of the truce the presence of the Federal or State troops should become unnecessary.

"(d) There shall be no picketing, parading, colonizing or mass campaigning by representatives of any labor organization of miners that are parties to this truce which will interfere with the working operations of any mine during the said period of three years.

"During said truce the decisions of the commission in cases submitted shall be final between employers and employes.

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"There shall be no suspension of work pending the investigation and reaching a decision on any dispute.

"The suspension of a mine over six consecutive days by the company may be authorized for cause satisfactory to the commission, but not pending any dispute.

"Willful violations of any of these conditions will be subject to such penalties as may be imposed by the commission. On account of the mutual benefits derived from the truce the employers and employes should each pay one-half of the expenses of the commission. Respectfully submitted,

"COMMISSIONERS OF CONCILIATION."

United Mine Worker's Officials Accept President's Proposition.

In a letter to President Wilson in which a high personal tribute is paid him in connection with the position he has taken in endeavoring to bring about a settlement of the Colorado mining troubles, international officers of the United Mine Workers of America agreed to accept the terms of the President's proposition, subject, of course, to the approval of the striking miners themselves. Their letter to the President, which is signed by John P. White, President, Frank Hayes, Vice President, and William Green, Secretary and Treasurer, is as follows:

"With feelings of personal esteem we reply to your favor of September 5th. "We have weighed well and thoughtfully both the sentiments expressed in your personal letter and the proposed tentative basis for the adjustment of the coal-mining strike in Colorado, the acceptance of which you urge 'with very deep earnestness.'

"We are profoundly impressed with what you say and fully conscious of the fact that in submitting this basis of settlement you are actuated only by feelings of public concern and inspired by motives both lofty and patriotic.

"The organization which we have the honor to represent stands for industrial peace. We favor the establishment of right relations between employers and employes, to the end that strikes may be rendered unnecessary. Having proper regard for these aims, we sought in the beginning to avoid an industrial conflict in Colorado. We repeatedly asked for a meeting with the mine owners, with the object in view of entering into contractural relations with them, so that peace might prevail. Had this been done, we are confident that the awful industrial struggle which has been going on in Colorado could have been avoided; instead of bloodshed, bitterness, industrial strife and economic waste there could have been established throughout the coal fields peace, prosperity and harmonious co-operation.

"It is our judgment that employers and employes, through their chosen representatives, ought to meet and settle their differences by mutual agreement. A direct, working agreement entered into in a friendly spirit, makes for abiding, permanent industrial peace. This, we believe, ought to be done by the miners and operators of Colorado. However, we are mindful of the suffering and waste which this strike bas thus far imposed and the additional sacrifice which will be made if it continues. "Feeling keenly, therefore, our responsibilities as the representatives of our organization, we accept your proposed basis for the settlement of the Colorado strike, subject, of course, to the approval of the miners of Colorado.

"We sincerely appreciate the personal concern which you have manifested in the Colorado strike. Speaking, as you do, in the name of all the people of our great nation we feel it our duty to respond to your earnest wish.

"We do so, therefore, as we trust, in the true spirit of American citizenship." A convention of the striking union miners of Colorado was called for September 15th to act on President Wilson's proposition and its acceptance was urged upon the delegates by the officers of the union as well as by one of the mediators who formulated the proposition, viz., Wm. R. Fairley. Vice President Hayes, in urging the acceptance of the President's proposition, informed the delegates that the union had spent three million, forty-four thousand dollars on the strike. On September 16th the convention accepted the President's proposal by a vote of 83 to 8. After the convention adjourned the officers of the United Mine Workers sent a telegram to President Wilson announcing that the strikers were ready to return to work under his proposed plan for a three-year truce treaty. Their telegram to President Wilson is as follows:

"The Colorado mine workers, in convention assembled, have carefully considered your proposal for a settlement of the coal strike and after calm and deliberate thought we have this date decided to accept the proposition you submit. The delegates to this convention convey to you their abiding faith in your integrity and your earnest and patriotic desire to be helpful in the present strike situation. Upon notice of the acceptance of your proposition by the coal operators we immediately will terminate the strike and return to work."

The Colorado mine owners met in convention Saturday, September 19th, and sent a request to President Wilson to receive a committee representing them on Wednesday, Septembr 23d, to discuss his proposition embodying tentative basis for settlement of the strike, and this request the President granted. Latest advices are to the effect that the mine owners will not accept the President's proposition.

LABOR VICTORIOUS IN LEGISLATIVE FIGHT

Conferees on Clayton Anti-Trust Bill Agreed That Labor Exemption Section Shall Be As Passed By Senate

On September 2d, last, the Clayton Anti-Trust Bill (H. R. 15657) passed the U. S. Senate, and as this issue goes to press the measure is still in the conference committee of the House and Senate. A Washington, D. C., press dispatch of September 16th states that the "conferees on the Clayton anti-trust bill have accepted the labor exemption section as it was agreed to by the Senate," and that the section will now read as follows:

"That the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce. Nothing contained in the anti-trust laws shall be construed to forbid the existence and operation of labor, agricultural or horticultural organizations, instituted for the purposes of mutual help and not having capital stock or conducted for profit, or to forbid or restrain individual members of such organizations from lawfully carrying out the legitimate objects thereof; nor shall such organizations, or the members

thereof, be held or construed to be illegal combinations or conspiracies in restraint of trade, under the anti-trust laws."

Phraseology Changed.

Continuing, the press dispatch says:

The section as perfected differs from the House provision in two particulars. It was the Senate that made the declaration that "the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce." Then the Senate inserted the word "lawfully" before the words "carrying out the legitimate object thereof.'

The ablest lawyers in the Senate opposed the House form of exemption on the ground that the word "legitimate" was not synonymous with the word "lawful," and that unless the word "lawfully" should be included in the legislation, labor organizations would be free to carry out their natural or logical objects by unlawful means. The section now seems to be satisfactory to all concerned; that is to say it is acceptable to persons who favored such legislation.

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Organized labor for more than twenty years has been seeking the legislation it has now obtained. Naturally it feels it has won a decided victory.

Other Sections Considered.

The conferees considered restoring the section of the House bill prohibiting price discrimination, which the Senate struck from the measure. That provision would make it a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $5,000 or imprisonment not to exceed one year for persons engaged in commerce directly or indirectly to discriminate in prices between different purchasers of commodities.

A. F. of L. Convention.

The call for its Thirty-fourth Annual Convention has been issued by the American Federation of Labor. The convention is to be held in Horticultural Hall, Philadelphia, Penna., beginning at 10 o'clock, Monday morning, November 9th. To be entitled to representation organizations must have obtained a charter at least one month prior to the convention, and no person who is not a member in good standing of the organization he is elected to represent will be recognized as a delegate.

Labor Affairs in the United King-
dom. War's Effect on Internal
Affairs of British Isles. Workers
Suffer Most.*

Your correspondent's last letter for the
Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen's
Magazine was written just prior to the
commencement of the European war.

one

This one is written at the end of the
fourth week of the greatest conflict in his-
tory and it is good to report that internal
conditions in England, Ireland, Scotland,
and Wales are now very fair. Of course
in the first few days of warfare there was
excitement and depression. For
thing, there was the food scare that now
turns out to have been absolutely unwar-
ranted and unjustifiable. It resulted,
however, from the fact that Britishers
have always been warned that in times of
war starvation would rapidly follow for
these islands.

In its call the Federation urges that "Every effort be made to broaden the field and means for organization of the yet unorganized workers, to strive to bring about more effectually than ever a better day in the lives and homes of the toilers, to defend and maintain by every honorable means in our power the right to organize for our common defense and advancement, for the exercise of our nor- by the numerous writers of the war-inIt was always presumed mal and constitutional activities, to protect and promote the rights and interests the-future kind of story that powerful of the workers and to assert at any risk navies would hold up anyhow for some the freedom of speech and of the press time England's food supplies from over and the equal rights before the law of the seas. When war broke out therefore every worker with every other citizen." a large number of people rushed to lay Referring to the European war the convention call says:

in stocks of easily preserved edibles like flour, bacon, cheese, sugar, jam, etc. This rush led to a prompt advance in prices by the retailers and for a day or two things were quite panicky in this con

"The tremendous conflict now being waged in Europe and its possible consequences and results, not only upon the people of European countries, but upon the people of America, as well as on the nection. whole civilized world, must of necessity receive the deepest solicitous considera

*Exclusive Correspondence to the Locomotive Firetion of the working people of America." men and Enginemen's Magazine.

Matters were very soon adjusted, how- hands entirely. The textile trade was ever. The government arranged a meet- very badly hit and engineering and building of the leading food wholesalers and ing were close up behind. The big nareassuring announcements were issued to tional movement, however, typified in its the public to the effect that this country motto, "Business as Usual," is helping had food supplies for four, five, and six things considerably. It has been urged months, with more stuff arriving daily now that the sea routes were free. The upon the people here that those who cangovernment also issued a list of maximum not go out and fight can at least help prices to be charged for certain food- things by "carrying on," as nearly as stuffs and these maxima have been re- possible, as usual. duced every few days. Meat is the one thing that looks like getting dearer even with big supplies arriving from Argentina. Fruit is absolutely a drug on the market, splendid large size plums selling for 30 cents for 24 pounds, and fine apples at 2 cents per pound at Covent Garden market. The people of England are not great fruit buyers, however, and this scarcely helps them at the moment but one result of these things may be that we shall cultivate wider fruitarian tastes and be all the healthier in body and better off in pocket as a consequence.

Fears of a money panic were also wiped out by the closing of the banks for four whole days in the first week of August, an arrangement which gave the government time to see about national gold reserves and to arrange for a paper currency in the shape of notes of the value of $5 and $2.50 respectively, always exchangeable for gold ultimately at the Bank of England. As a matter of fact, this currency, something entirely new for this country, has got into wide and supremely satisfactory circulation and nobody seems to want gold. So far as employers, merchants and general business people were concerned they were specially helped by the declaration of a **moratorium for practically all debts over $25 from August 4th to September 4th (since extended to October 4th.) By means of this moratorium it is optional whether these debts are paid or not until the moratorium expires. The closing of the stock enchanges also prevented tremendous nominal drops in security values and the hasty selling and consequent widespread disorder that would have followed.

Workers Suffer Most.

With regard to the working people of the country they have of course got a lot of hardship to bear. In many industries employment became immediately scarce but where possible, employers endeavored to lessen the severity of this by working all of their force half time rather than by dismissing some of the

**An emergency act of legislation authorizing a government bank to suspend specie payment for a given period. Standard Dictionary.

For a time railway service was largely disorganized owing to the railways being required so extensively for war office use. A special railway committee was appointed composed of members of the House of Commons and of all the leading railway corporation directorates and nominally the railways at once went under state control. This, however, has seldom interfered with their ordinary working except on brief occasions on certain nights or days when heavy transportation of troops and war material was in progress. Now all railways are practically running uninterruptedly, holiday makers are once more being offered the old reduced fares, the three-quarter fare concession for theatrical people traveling the country has been reinstated, and even goods for private owners are being conveyed without more than a little delay. Large numbers of railway servants were of course called up to the colors as reservists, which in this country is the term applied to those men who enlist in times of peace, serve their three years or so, and then go back from the army into civil life and their ordinary occupations, but are liable to be called back to the colors whenever wanted at any time during a certain number of years. For this right of call the government pays them whilst back in civil life a minimum of 12 cents per day. Some thousands of other railwaymen were already organized in the territorial force, which is the big volunteer army organization of the country. Territorials are armed, uniformed and drilled and are raised for home defense only unless they expressly volunteer for foreign service. Enlistment in the territorials does not in any way affect a man's ordinary occupation. He does his drilling in his spare time and puts in two or three weeks in camp each year during his annual holiday or business vacation. vice has been of course caused by the new A further drain upon the railway serenlistment of men since the war has started. Of the first new army of 100,000 men (aged from 19 to 30) a large number are recruits from the railways. Now a second extra army of 100,000, with an advanced age limit of 35, is also being

raised and this will draw a further large number of railway servants. The railway corporations have generally shown themselves to be patriotic. They are assisting in various ways the men who enlist, are holding jobs open till after the war, and are preparing to help the enlisted men's dependents.

Effect of War on British Trade Unions. The effect of the war on trade unions is discussed in the sixtieth quarterly report of the General Federation of Trade Unions for the period ending June, issued on August 27th. The report says: "Today the duty of British trade unionists is clear: they must make the best of existing circumstances, carefully note, and just as carefully utilize all their resources, bear with calmness and restraint either national defeat or victory, and hold themselves in readiness to struggle for the concession to all the survivors of those natural rights which are justly regarded as inalienable.

"It goes without saying" the report continues, "that there will be a greatly increased volume of unemployment, and the trade unions paying unemployment benefits are sure to be faced with serious difficulties. Those who are wise will intelligently anticipate events, and take whatever steps are possible to meet their financial burdens, to retain their membership, and to insure their means for continuing the effective existence and management of their unions."

Unions that the labor organizations in the country must be on the alert to safeguard the interests of their members when the time' of readjustment comes after the war.

Alfred H. Gill, a well-known member of the labor party in the House of Commons, died August 27th. Beginning as a newspaper seller in Rochdale, Gill went on to the cotton mills, educated himself, joined his union and rose to its general secretaryship, eventually entering ParliaHe was one ment in the labor interest. of the delegates chosen to attend the convention of the American Federation of Labor at Toronto, representing British trade unionists, and gave evidence before the National State Commission on the operation of the workmen's compensation law in England.

Reasons Why Organizations of
Workers Are Not Trusts; Labor
Demands That Injunction Prac-
tices Be Changed.*

It is impossible to establish a "labor trust" among free men, for labor power is part of the living workers and has material existence only in the products resulting from the application of that labor. Justice to the workers requires that the inherent differences between these two kinds of organizations be recognized in legislative classifications.

The principle underlying Section 7 of the Clayton Anti-Trust bill recognizes this distinction. It discriminates be

The report points out that the problem of retaining the effective membership of the workless will be serious, and suggestions are made that where reservists or territorials have been mobilized steps should be taken not only to retain intact their membership, but to keep in touch tween the miner and the coal that he with them. It adds: "Little remem- mines, the engineer and the throttle that brances and kindnesses make mighty he pulls, the factory employe and the mabonds where the poor are concerned, and chine that he operates, the baker and the bonds will be needed to prevent trade bread he bakes. union disintegration or loss."

But should the baker and the candle The report concludes: "When the war maker engage in the production of loaves finishes many grave problems will re- of bread and candles and try to manipu quire solution, and unless the organiza- late the prices of these products to secure tion of the trade unions has continued unreasonable profits, then their activities intact they cannot effectively protect the would come under the provisions of the interests of the industrial population. Sherman Anti-Trust law. However, so These interests are the peculiar charge of the trade unions, and they should at once prepare to guard them."

long as they control only themselves and their labor power, which is indissolubly bound up with life itself, they form no trust and do not interfere with interstate commerce.

Practically there are no labor disputes running in the country at the present time. Truces have been called and in some cases the men are making concessions; in others the employers. There is a very extraordinary spirit afoot in the country at present that makes for the peaceful solution of all current differences of party, class, creed, etc., but all the same one can quite endorse the view expressed above by the General Federation of Trade York World,

Under the laws applying to free people, withholding of labor power or patronage cannot constitute illegal acts. I can conceive of no dissent from this fundamental truth, that a man's labor power and his patronage are part of himself and

By President Gompers of the A. F. of L., in New

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