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Show H PRESIDENT GOMPERS OF THE H AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LA- H 1 BOR STRONGLY AGAINST PRO- H HIBITION. ' Hj J In the city of Chicago, In March, H 1910, when asked to aid the ProhlbI7! "HHm I tionlsts, President Samuel Gbmpers,' 'H ) President of the American Federation I H of Labor, said: "Prohibition is a fail- t uro. Proper regulation is much more "jjjjjH effective for temperance than abollsh- "j I ment of tho saloons." Again, when H 'j asked by Delegate Woodman, of Fort H ( Worth, Texas, for advice on this sub- "jjjjHj ject. President Gompers said: "Pro- "jjjjHl h'-bltion, whether general or local, sim- 1 I Ply means tho creation of a deceit, 1 I the breaking of laws, the imposaibillty j of enforcement and the substitution "jjjjjH of the worse form of poisonous drinks "HHm for ordinary drinking." H President Hoefgen of the State Fed- Hl eratlon of Labor of Texas says: "Wo "1 are not concerned in what happens to "jjjim the brewer, the saloon men or real es- "jjjjH tato owners, as such, for they could M , survive the change, because they havo "jjjjjH money and property, but we are vltal- 1 I ly Interested in tho welfare pf the "jjjjHI J worklngmen and women, who, by the "jjjjHj adoption of prohibition, would bo "jjjjH 'hrown out of employment and forced to seek a means of earning a living in n labor market which Is already overcrowded and glutted Under these circumstances, it seems to me the duly of every "person holding a union card is made plain." Chas. A. Hope, secretary of the Central Labor Union of Philadelphia, says: "I am sure that If official action on local option was taken, tho records would show almost unanimously for license, as union men believe in the principle of "live and let live." At tho annual convention of tho Cigar Ci-gar Makers Blue Label league for the State of Indiana, resolutions wero passed emphatically repudiating local option prohibition 0. Wilson, editor of the Labor Unit, official organ of organized labor In Oklahoma, nays: "I have lived in Oklahoma Ok-lahoma City under both conditions Give mp the open saloon In preference prefer-ence to prohibition. I have seon more Intoxicated persons on the streets since the adoption of prohibition than over before. Where one saloon existed exist-ed prior to the adoption of prohibition, prohibi-tion, there are now easily from two to three joints and Bales have undoubtedly un-doubtedly Inci eased, ' The Unions of Pontlac, Michigan, I Joined hands in the campaign of 19LU , to put that city back Into the license I column, after passing resolutions condemning con-demning the debauchery created by prohibition. The Trades and Labor Council of Port Huron, Michigan, passed resolutions resolu-tions last year aaglnst local option piohibltlon, declaring it to be detrimental detri-mental to the moral and economic Interests In-terests of organized labor. The Cigar Makers Union of Decatur, Illinois, after a two years trial of local option prohibition, declared emphatically em-phatically aaglnst a further reign of demoralization and debauchery created creat-ed by It. The Michigan Federation of Labor, at Its state convention in Muskegon, in 1910, went on record aaglnst local option prohibition, declaring that "prohibition "pro-hibition is a direct blow to freedom and if permitted to go forward will create an immense army of unemployed." unem-ployed." The State Federation of Labor of Missouri, in session at Jefferson City, in 1910, declared the so-called 'dry' movement is fanatical and dangerous.' The State Federation of Labor of New York declared through posltlvo resolutions against local option prohibition. pro-hibition. The State Federation of Indlann, in 1910, went on record against local option prohibition. The State Federation of Illinois, in 1909 and 1910, declared against any stylo of prohibition and emphasized the fact that Its adoption was dangerous danger-ous to organized labor. The Salt Lake Federation of Labor, which is an organization made up of delegates or representatives of the various trades and labor organizations In Salt Lake City. The Ogden Trades and Labor Assembly, As-sembly, which Is an organization made up of delegates or representatives representa-tives of the various trades and labor organizations of Ogden. Both of these organizations have taken definite action against the campaign cam-paign for prohibition In these two cities. cit-ies. Now, please inform the public what you intended to prove in your "Labor issue." You certainly did not expect to take tho meager information contained con-tained in those seven organizations out of 237 organizations in the United States, and expect to prove by the same that organized labor ought to bo for prohibition Pretty scant evidence, evi-dence, isn't It? Or were you trying to prove that Mayor Rose made a false statement when he said, "That every labor organization in the United States that has given expression upon this proposition, without exception, has declared its opposition for prohibition?" prohi-bition?" Have you cited' one labor organization or-ganization that has given expression on this subject In favor of "Prohibition?" "Prohibi-tion?" We leave it to you. |