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Show FEDERATED TRADES. A Staunch Member Defends Utah's Labor Council IN TRUE UNIONISTIC STYLE. lie Replies tu Manly Fashion to an Krroneoni Item Which Appeared in This Paper, and With One Exception Ex-ception Proves His Case Me Ie-claret Ie-claret That All is Serene In Labor Circle and Will .Remain . In Tuesday's Issue of The Times there appeared an item, obtained from a source at the time believed authoritative, that the committee employed in revising the constitution consti-tution of the Federated Trades bad adopted a section which ended, "politicians, bosses and foremen ineligible to membership." Apprised Ap-prised of the fact that a mistake had been made, The Times, unsolicited, mad'i a correction cor-rection in yesterday'-s issue which apparently, appar-ently, in the min'i'of J. L. Frank, an enthusiastic enthu-siastic member X1 the clerk's union audits representative in the Federated Trades, did not fill tr. bill. He has, therefore, sent in the fo'bwing manly and self-explanatory comriunication : Salt Lake, Nov. 17th, 1. Editor Tpmes: In your ism:e of the lSth, I .noticed what purports to be a report of the work done hy the committee on revising the l omtilu-tion omtilu-tion and by-laws o the iederuied Tra.ies jmd Labor Council. Your informant was un'toubteiily a member of said committee, as ther was no preH representative present, and no one e!e could have given you the information hut a member. Now this gentleman has, no doubt unintentionally, unintention-ally, so distorted this report that I feel it my duty t.) set you right in this connection. 1 inn sure tUat had a reporter been present no pit-, h sensational headlines as has appeared in your p.-ipei would have been printed. As the mover f ihe motion and a member of the committee, 1 vit?h you would make a few corrections. lu the firr-t place you tay "All is not serene in Utah's labor council." This 1 deny, tor in making mak-ing the motion to revise the constitution I was only actuated by the fact, that for ttie better government gov-ernment of the council it would be better for ail if some clauses were added covering certain Ground not now covered bv that ins-trumeut, which had no re ' r;ic.e to eligibility of ar:y member mem-ber in good staining in any of tho locais. Kor this reason that tt: council cannot go behind the credentials of the locals, it would over-step i's authority in passing such law as it in interfering with the laws of individual nnions, and tneir right to say who is eleg;ble to become a member tb-.-reof, and the council cannot make a biw that will force a local to amend its constitution, consequently con-sequently the committee is not responsible for the innovation as stated in the article. You sav ' trouble is brewing and at the proper time there will be a labor nphoaval which may result in a rival organization.'' No such move is contemplated, as the commlt'ee who have this work in hand id one of the most harmonious that has ever been appointed by the council. The factional strife to which you allude has been settled to the sacinCat t.ou A all parties concerned. con-cerned. You further say in the ar.i :'.e that "a red hot and at times a personal d b ittt took place." this is altogether wrong. No personalities whatever wer indulged in at any time durins: th" -sion. The nearest approach to anything oi t'ne kinrl came from the following moment, i ;e member from the cigarmakers' made the motion upau wfiich you lay so much stress, viz: No bosses, foremen, politicians or honorary members shall be eligible as delegates io the council. The member from the plumbers'1 asUe.l if any personality in reference to a gentleman from thiit union now holding a position as inspe t r in the line of his business under the present administration adminis-tration was meant. To which the cigarmaker replied: "So, I do not make any reference to any person or persons in the council; we have in our union such law, and 1 thought it would be well to have the eame iu the council." Whilst it is trne that there was earnest debate, intense interest and close attention paid to al. that was said, yet all was conducted with perfect decorum, each member of the committee ctriving to do his ntmost to benefit the whole council regardless re-gardless of personal interests. This motion did not prevail, as erroneously stated, for it was voted down -as overstepping the limit of the council in passing such law. Of course any member of the committee has a right to bring in a minority report to the council, and this question may be brought In the meeting of that body and be acted on by the committee of the whole. No threats of withdrawal were ever thought of, much less expressed, if this motion did not prevail. pre-vail. The whole session was one of purely business. Idle threats and the school boy's tactics of 1 went play if I don't get the whole hog, were conspicuous conspicu-ous bv their absence. I have always known your esteemed paper to be j just ana nonesi ana iair iu m utnuuge. x am personally acquainted with several gentlemen connected with Thb Tmis and have always found them liberal mindel and fair, but I do not think that justice was done by publishing such sensational sensa-tional head lines and distorted report of the proceedings pro-ceedings of the committee as that which astonished aston-ished me upon opening The Times on tho evening of the 15th. Of conrse ("all that goas to the mi l is grist'") you publish all yon guther In the shape ot news as au enterprising paper should, and I cannot blame you for attending to business: but 1 with you jwould have published the authority from whence you got the garbled report. I would also ask you kindly in the future to verify such reports re-ports a may be given you, so as to at least give both sides of the story. At the first elance, it would seem as if yon wish to throw the anp'.e of discord among ns in order to verify your previous predictions as to a thorough overthrow of oTgini.ed labor in L"tah, hut 1 do not think that such is your Intention. Yours respectfully, J. L. Frank. |