Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-12-13
FEDERATED LABOR.
Meeting of tho National ConveD-
ton at Detroit.
President Gompers Reviews the state of
the Order - Success OF the Eight
Hour Movement A Socialist
Delegate Denied Seat In
tho Convention.

| DETROIT, Mich, Dec. o.-The national
| conven ton of the American Federation
of Labor opened here Monday with
ninety delegates in attendance. Acting
Mayor Griggs extended an official well
come President Dolan, Of the local
| Trades Council, also spoke. President
Gompers in responding said: "Put none
but union men on guard. We know
what we want and think we know how
to go about to get it." After the
speeches the convention took recess.
President Gompers' annual address
advised the convention to avoid contro-
versial questions and concentrate effort
| upon such issues as the members are
most agreed. That such a course is
best is evidenced by tho success of the
eight-hour movement since the last con-
vention. The agitation for that reform
| has been successful in 1877 cities and has
benefited 46, 1877 worlr1en in the car
penters' trade, besides countless others
in other branches of the building trades.
The demand for an eight-hour day will
be made by the other trades in series
and its final success can not be ques-
toned. The next industry to make the
demand will bo the coal miners. They
will move May 1, 1891.
During the year the Federation has
established "a local branches and the
National Trades Union reports 913 local
branches established. Existing branches
have added from five to thirty-fve per
cent. in membership. The address de-
clares in favor of the system Of national
unions of individual trades,
During the year 1,163 authorized
strikes have taken place. OF these $50
succeeded, 76 failed and 9s were com
promised. Many concessions were
gained without resort to strikes. Tho
people who propose strike are warned
that bluster will not win, and that they
must be prepared for whatever battle
they propose. The Federation is not
always prepared to assist strikes fnan-
cially.
President Gompers refers in com
mendation to the project of an interna-
tional labor congress in 1898, to be coin
cident with the Worlds F air; demands
| the enforcement of the eight-hour law
in Government work; asks for suita-
BILE Federal alien contract labor law:
! suggests the extended observance OF
Labor Day as an annual holiday; warns
against child labor, and declares en-
phatically for international copyright
and ballot reform.
President Com pers meets the charge
of excluding Socialists by denying that
he has never tried to exclude anyone for
his economic opinions and insisting that
the only requisite to the trades union
movement is good standing in local
union.
vention OF the American Federation of
Labor resumed its session Tuesday
morning. The announcement of the
formation of two national unions-the
retail clerks and the walters and bar
tenders'-was received with applause.
The treasurer's report shows receipts
for the year of S24, 1854; expenditures,
SCI, ,075.57.
Most of the morning was taken up
with receiving resolutions, they being
introduced on nearly every subject,
Among them were: To levy tax of ten
cents to support men out on strike; to
organize State branches of the Fedora
tion; protesting against the action OF
the Amalgamated Association against
the pattern makers of Cleveland; iudors-
ing the eight-hour adjustment act now
before the Senate; calling for Govern
ment control of telegraphs; providing
for worlds labor congress in Chicago
in 1s93 to declare against tho Knights
of Labor; protesting against use of
soldiers, policemen and Pinkerton
thugs to intimidate labor. Laughter of
derisive character greeted u resolution
to change the headquarters of the Fed
H., A ~, -.
constitution was asked for. limiting the
election of president of the Federation
to two consecutive terms. The Fedora
tion was asked to indorse woman suf-
frage.
Inc committee in charge OF the mat
ter of admitting Lucian Sanial as repre-
senting the Central Federation of Labor
of New York, reported against admit
ting the represen tative of the Socialistio
wing. The debate on the report took
up the rest of the morning session and
was not completed when the convention
adjourned for dinner.
The convention assembled at two
o'clock. The roll was called and the
minutes of the morning session read and
approved. A resolution was offered re-
jecting the report of the committee and
granting the Central Federation of La
boris petition for charter and giving
Sanial a seat in the convention. Tho
latter part of this motion was ruled out
of order by the president, who called J.
j. DAILY to the chair and, taking the
floor. offered to give the convention his
statement of the affair, which until this
time he had persistently refused to
make. His offer was accepted. After
much discussion the previous question
was called for and poll vote asked for.
This resulted in so delegates casting
1900 votes for the adoption of the COM
mittees report, while 20 delegates, with
a total of 535 votes, cast them negative.
~. The report was thus declared adop-
ted and the American Federation of La-
Dor had taken it's stand upon the Social
istic elements entrance into its organi-
cation. The convention then adjourned
to meet this morning.
| =
HOUSE of five stories has been exca-