Workmen's advocate., 1890-12-20
THE CONVENTION.
HOPEFUL. SIGNS OF A SELF RESPECTING LABOR
 MOVEMENT.


 MOVEMENT.
 Reactionary Victory that Portends
 Dcfeat-Corruptionists' schemes
 Laid L0w-No Official Organ or
 Other Weapon of Oppression in
 the Presidents llands-N0 Poodle
 LegislatiyeC0mmi ittee-N0 Prince
 ly Salaries Wise Provisions for
 Labor.
 The Detroit Convention has adjourned. The record it has made will often in times tu come be referred to. Reaction, and worse, met he progressive vanguard of labor; they clashed, and through the clash the latter received an impulse that turns a seeming defeat into an actual and lasting victory for the cause. The utl absorbing question first brought be- fore the ConventiOn-the admission or rejection of the delegate of the C, l.. r. --was squareiy introduced by
 LUCIEN sANIAL's ADDRESS,
 which ran as follows:
 'GENTLEMEN OF THE C0NvENTION;- So much has lately been saId in un- friendly papers concerning the object of tb ,rly | ,uII 1 in sending me as it's delegate to this Convention, that, in justice to all, l have deemed it necessary to state my case in writing. l do thls in justice to ny constituents. that their purpose may not he miarppresented; in justice to my self, that may give literal account of the performance of my duty; and in justice to you, that your action may not he misunderstood.
 "Aud right here let me correct any false impression which may have been created hv the organs of a class natural ly hostile to Organized Labor, and inter. gsled in nothing go much as in its dis rip'ion. My mission is, not t0 SOW dts cord, but to tender you the earnest CO., operation of representative and power 1uA Id'pl to'I9 tNtl9 il0lIl"'l VI " i'i'h Is deeply imbued with the idea that union is the necessary fundament of progress in the labor movement.
 "Without entering into a Consldera tiOn of the particular circumstances that brought the Central Labor Federation into existence, 1 shall state that it was tirst established on the 12th of February, 1SS9 and then obtained from the Ameri- can Federation of Labor a charter. for which it paid the usual fee of five dol lars. On December 15, 1SS0 in the Interest of unity, the various Organiza- tions represented Tn the Central Labor Federation again sent delegates to the New York Central Labor Union. Then, of course, for the time being, the Central Labor Federation ceased to meet; but no resolution was passed to surrender the charter Had this been proposed, it is safe to say that 1t would have met with d strong opposition, for there were many who. while wishing to see the forces of labor thoroughly united in New York and consequently favoring the at tempt at reconciliation as an experiment worth trying. looked with mistrust upon the controlling influence of certain K. of l.. leaders in the C. |. U. They did not believe that the apparent recon citation could be lasting, Their worst apprehensions, l am sorry 10 say, were realized, and i'll a few months, a number of organizations had in disgust with drawn their delegates from the C. L. U. Under those circumstances the Central Labor Federation resumed its weekly sp sions. One of the first acts of its Secretary, Ernest Bohm, was to call upon Henry Enrich, one If its trustees, for the charter. which had been left in his hand, for safe keeping. Enrich answered that he had surrendered it to Samuel Gompers, President of the A. F of L. Mr. GOmpers was then called upon, but replied that as the charter had been surrendered he could not re. turn it and an application for a new charter would have to be made. The Executive Council of the A. F. of L. was then appealed to, but confirmed Mir. Gomi CTS decision. 1hereupCn an application was made, to which no an- Swer was received for all unusual length of time. When at last 1t came, it was somewhat indefinite as to the charter itself, but contained reference to the admission of delegates from the New York American Section of the Socialist Labor party, in terms which meant plainly that MT. Gompers did not ap- prove of their admission and deemed 1t d sufficient reason to withhold the char ter. The body which they represented, he said, was a ''political party,' and as such should have no place in a central body representative of trades unions, Finally, the matter was left for decision 10 this Convention.
 "There are two questions involved Tn the proposition as stated by MT. Com pers 1) l. the s. L. r. political party Tn tle sense in which this phrase is understood by us worklngmen: l2l Is