Part: 123456789         Session: 1         Page na123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488489490491492493494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563 of 564

I said, “What earthly good will that do? You know perfectly well that nothing can come out of it.”

“Yes, but it will make them understand that something's being done;”

Wolman and I talked about it and I came to the conclusion that there was something in it, although it would be almost impossible to have a conference because everything was in such disorder. But I said to myself, “There's something to it. I think Hillman's right to this extent so far as these unions of his are concerned, they need a demonstration. Perhaps that's what the others need too - a symbolic action, whether there's any substance to it or not.”

So I thought about it. I don't think I slent much on the train that night. As I thought about it, I sort of made a plans. I called a few people in the Department together the next morning. The principal one I called was Clara Beyer, because she and her husband, Otto Beyer, who was in the railroad administration, knew more labor people, and particularly those of the national and international unions, than anybody else around. I said, “Now, I have this idea of calling a conference of labor leaders. They must be people of the national or international unions. Do you think it would be a good idea?”