Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 February 1907 — Civic Federation Entertained. [ARTICLE]

Civic Federation Entertained.

The meeting of the National Civic Federation at the home of Mrs. Potter Palmer in Chicago gave the representatives of labor arid capital an unusual opportunity for intimate intercourse. Many of the humblest and poorest wage artisans thus shared in the elaborate entertainment and shook hands with multi-mllionaires or gossiped with them across the table. Of the 550 persons w r ho accepted Mrs. Palmer’s invtation, 200 were labor union officials, and the rest were prominent manufacturers or financiers. The main object of the gathering was to explain the purpose of the National Civic Federation, with a view to establishing a branch in Chicago. The leaders of the federation tried to make it clear that its purpose was not to act as an arbitration board to settle labor disputes, but that it was designed to give representative men on both sides an opportunity to get personally acquainted, so that with a better understanding of each other’s interests, disputes could be settled without resorting to either arbitration or strikes. The main difficulty frequently is found to be that of bringing contending persons together in friendly conferences. Addresses were made by former Mayor Low of New York, August Belmont, Grandmaster Stone of the Engineers’ brotherhood, President Mahon of the street railroad men and several others.