Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1891-03-28
G0MPERISM.
ITS AGENCIES AND METHODS
IN BOSTON.
Graphic Picture of the Men Who Did
Gompers' Dirty Work in Detroit
Frank h. Foster and His Gro.

nies.
We have had in hand for some time a
-, IS of information. all to the same
tdect, concerning the gang of political
l.elers and schemers who vent from
Ls~ton to Detroit to do Gompers' dirty
work against the Organized Labor of
bis own city. As this is the last number
of ,he WoRKNEN's ADVOCATE under its
! present name, we do not feel warranted
in withholding it any longer from the
public, although we did not intend to
uhlish it until we had completed our
! Investigation
The following extracts speak for them
selves:
First in order the Central Labor Union
elected its delegate. For this position
| there were three candidates: two.
hlessrs. Abrahams and O'Sullivan, open
and avowed and the third, Mr.. Frank
X. Foster, seeking to procure by stealth
what he dared not attempt TO win in an
open and manly fight. Yes, to this
strait was the mighty Foster reduced.
| lie, who has so long figured as the back
| bone of Sam. Gompers, dared not seek
openly what he had hitherto obtained
without the asking He dared not go
| before body over which he had lorded
it so long and so ruthlessly and say,
Gentlemen | ask your sutrrages." The
| fact is that Mr.. Foster has shifted and
turned so frequently, he has been this
| thing and that thing SO often, he has
lent his voice to so many different poll
ticians, he has received pay from so
many different political parties, he has
in the last political campaign spoken
with such eloquent versatility for the
democrat Russell in Massachusetts and
n the Republican Delamater in Penn.
,vania. he has so often of late publicly
proclaimed mis- contempt FOL i.ia h.th etn
plant tools, and last but not least be
has so often defrauded them of their
rightful share of the spoils, thai he has
at length raised rebellion in the ranks of
his adorers, In short, Mr. Foster has
lost his grip; he is played out. And, to
use very emphatic phrase, in Boston
he is back number.
OF these three candidates Mr.. Abra.
hams was the successful one, but at the
outset he was confronted with very
difficult problem. Under the Clinkard
regime and that of its successor com
mittee expenses were so great, the Fed
Grafton ball had been such costly fai-
lure, and above all Fosters printing
bills were so enormous, that the treasury
of the G. l. u. was empty. An appeal
was made to the affiliated unions and but
t%enty dollars was realized this way;
but, being an honest as vel as ambi-
tlous man, and not desiring to procure
money in an underhand way-as he
! knew his colleagues would-he used
seventy-fye dollars Of his own private
funds (Which has since been repaid to
HIM and came back to Boston az clean
as when he left it.
OF the other unsuccessful candidates
Mr.. O'Suilivan announced himself as the
delegate Of the Sailors and Firemen's
Union, of which he is the reputed Pre- 81
dent. What the real strength Of this
organization is it would be difficult to
say Tens of Thousands" President
OSu!livan says, "throughout the coun-
try, and thousands in the city Of Bos.
ton. 1t would be well if it were so, for
surely none need the benefit of organiza-
tion more than the unfortunate beings,
"who go down to the sea in ships. :"
Further to confirm this estimate, at va
rlOus times when the gang were in need
of special votes Mr.. OSullivan has been
IN the habit of leading number of new
delegates from his organization to the
G. l.. u, numbering all the way from
ten to twenty, and their votes once re
corded their faces were never seen again;
SO that, with this proof of statement,
Mr.. OSulllvan's estimate might be ac-
cepted; but to the fair-minded man it is
very significant that at a well advertised
| mass meeting recently called in Faneuil
Hall to protest against the Cruelties
praCtlCed upon seamen, though it was
on Saturday night, there was assembled
there total Of only two hundred and
/ fifty three persons, most of them known
to be outsiders; which would show that
the membership of Mr. o Sullivan's
society IS largely overestimated, or else
that he aailors and firemen of this port
take but little interest in its affairs.
Mr.. . Sullivan being thus provided for
as a second member of the gang, Mr..
Frank X. Foster had himself announced
in good time as a delegate from the
Federal Labor Union. Now in its pal
miest days the membership of the Fed
eral Labor Uuion had never exceeded
four; tins quartette comprising Mr.. Fos-
ter himself, Mr.. OSullivan, who has
always been the loyal hen,hman of Mr..
/ Foster, Mr.. Geo. Mcneil, and Mr.. Cyrus
. Field Willard, a quondam socialist, re.
Gently nationals, and at present a