Your telegram of the 13th² came to the office while I was in the State of South Carolina, and this accounts for my failure to reply at once.

When I received the telegram from Mr. Ira Noles I wired him that I would do everything in my power to adjust the differences between the Ranlo Manufacturing Company and its employees. It was impossible for me to go to Gaston county at that time on account of an engagement that I had made several weeks before to go to Charleston, S.C. I wired the Ranlo Mfg. Company that I had been requested to use my good offices in bringing about an adjustment of the differences, and that I would be very glad to do so, that it was impossible for me to go to Gastonia then, and that I hoped ejectment proceedings would be witheld until I could have a conference with all parties concerned.

Later a representative of the company called me up on the long distance phone and said that there was no disposition on the part of the company to even question the right of any man to belong to a labor union, that this right was freely conceded, and that the company had not discriminated and would not discriminate against any man because he belonged to a labor union.

He furthermore stated that there was no real trouble with the body of the employees, but that there were a number of people who were personally objectionable to the company and to a large number of the employees of the company, that the company could not work these men for the reason that if they were worked a large number of employees would leave. Thereupon I stated to him that I hoped the matter could be adjusted satisfactorily within a few days, and I wrote to Mr. Noles that the best policy for the laboring people to pursue was to go on back to work and let everybody get in a good humor, and then an agreement of some kind satisfactory to both sides could be reached. I did this for the reason that my experience is that you cannot get people together very well when they are mad.

My position on the labor situation in the State is well known. It was published in all the papers when they had the trouble in Charlotte, in Badin, in High Point and in Raleigh. I personally settled the differences between employers and employees in High Point and Raleigh, and the principles I laid down were followed at Charlotte and at Badin. I am always glad to be of service when a real principle is involved, but, of course, I cannot intervene when the trouble arises over persons and not principles.