| Show FEDERATION OF LABOR Twelfth Annual Convention in Session Philadelphia The Annual Address Delivered by President Presi-dent GompersHe Dwells on the Labor Troubles of tho Past Year PHILADELPHIA Dec 12The twelfth annual convention of the American Federation I Fed-eration of Labor convenes here today The labor situation of the entire country is to be canvassed thoroughly and steps I looking to the organization of an entire new mode of proceedure in labor matters will be taken President Gompers called the convention t order George Chance delivered the address of welcome on behalf be-half of the United Labor league a committee com-mittee on credentials was appointed and the convention took n recess till the afternoon At the afternoon session the delegates were entertained for half an hour by John Swinton New York journalist in a savage attack on blacklegging Pinker tons and trickery The labor of the country he paid had been paid millions of dollars this year which it would have surely lost without the help of striking brethren at different points The speaker concluded with an appeal for a union of all labor organizations on fundamental principles The committee on credentials I reported eightyone delegates to admission I admis-sion and the report was adopted i A resolution was introduced at the request re-quest of Typographical Union No 16 of Chicago denouncing the proposed award ingof a contract forthe Worlds fair catalogue cata-logue to a nonunion house and demanding demand-ing that the work go to a union house Aiter considerable debate the resolution I was somewhatmodified and adopted President Gompers read his annual report I re-port He said in part Events have transpired on the field of labor for the last six months which have aroused public pub-lic attention because the incidents connected con-nected with them were more or less unusual I un-usual in character In each of these labor troubles employers and corporations corpora-tions simply made a request and armed forces of the state and United States came at their bidding I At Cceur dAlene at the bidding of Aene I mine owners United States troops were I brought to Cceur dAlene and the men overawed and subdued the commanding i general of the United States forces issuing an order that any employer who would operate mines with union men would not be allowed to continue work A United States judge issued an order prohibiting union miners from holding meetings In other words the constitutional right of free assemblage was violated by the United States judge and a general of our I army declaring and enforcing an eaict that an employer shall not carry on business busi-ness because he dared to employ union I men The action of judges and officers I of the United States was a flagrant violation of law and I believe it our duty to demand that the Congress of the United States institute an investigation It is plainly evident that the militia of our several states was never utilized except for purposes of ostentatious show I or as an element in labor struggles There is not even a pretense that they should be what they were originally designed de-signed for Instead of being a popular I organization in defense of homes and firesides it is deflected into a machine of monopolistic oppression against labor i Toilers need at this time to answer the bitterness and vindictivness of oppressors I oppres-sors with organization With the object I ob-ject of financial aid in view Dec 13th of i this year was designated as Homestead Home-stead Day and all are requested to contribute con-tribute a portion of their earnings on that dt y for the purpose stated I iu is idle to say because we were not entirely en-tirely successful in the enforcement of i the eight hour movement for all orders in I the past it is useless for us to again make I an effort to establish a limitation of daily hours of labor There can be no question ques-tion but unrestricted immigration is working great injury to the people of our country notwithstanding our petitions and our protests Congress has practically closed the Worlds fair upon the day most readily at the disposal of workers I we should urge Congress to repeal the i lawCongress I Congress sometime ago granted subsides sub-sides to the Pacific Mail steamship company I com-pany and incorporated a provision that I seamen employed by a company should be American citizens The company in question has since violated the provision of the law by employing Chinese sailors I I I would recommend this convention i would enter into a most emphatic protest against sunplanting our American sailors by Chinese and call upon the president of the United States to either compel the company in question to abide by the provisions pro-visions of law or withdraw the subsidy granted In obedience to the unanimously adopted instructions a counterproposi tion to those submitted by the Knights of Labor were transmitted to the general officers of that order The officers answer an-swer was discourteous and insolent i Since then we have heard nothing in reference ref-erence to the subject matter I The report of Secretary Evans was then submitted Mr Evans said During the year commencing Nov 11891 and ending Oct 31 1892 277 charters were issued in thirtytwo states of the Union In addition to the above eight charters were issued to national unions making the total 2S5 for the year National unions affiliated also and received through the office of the American Federation of L bor thirtyseven charter applications In a comparative statement as to receipts re-ceipts and expenses he said the recsipts for the last year were 525000 and expenditures expend-itures 18324 a3 compared with 21346 f36 received the year before and f3190 expended ex-pended The convention then adjourned unti1 tomorrow Protesting Against Letting a Contract CHICAGO Dec 12The Trade and Labor assembly at a special meeting tonight to-night adopted another vigorous protest letting the contract for the Worlds fair catalogues to Conkey Co who are said to employ nonunion labor A committee com-mittee was appointed to prosecute the fight to the bitter end even to the extent I fair of stopping grounds all union labor at the Worlds |
