Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1892-12-13
FEDERATED LABOR.
Gompers' Men Meet to Discuss
Industrial Problems.
CONDITION OF THINGS REVIEWED.

Rewards of Labor Not Equitably Distrib-
uted and Statutes Always Against the
Poor Man-State and National OficiaIs
on the Wrong side Every Time-Other
Labor Matters-More Trouble for the
Worlds Fair-A General Strike Threat
ened Telesrap!Iic Situation CROWN &;
Worse.
PHILADELPHIA, Dec l3.-President Sam
uel Gompers opened the twelfth annual Scs-
sion of the American Federation of Labor
in Independence hall yesterday. An adj
dress of welcome in behalf of the
United Labor league of this city was de-
livered by George Chance, of Typographical
union No. 2, in which he said: Measured
by the wealth that has been gathered.
Pennsylvania is great, prosperous and
powerful Contrasted with the condition
of the producers of that wealth, then the
state is poor, indeed. have no hesitancy
in saying that the laws of the nation and
the state are partly responsible for this cor
dition of affairs. Trusts have been legal
iszed and fostered, while soulless corpora
tions and gigantic plants are the especial
wards of the state; laws passed for the
benefit of the masses are declared uncOu-
stitutional or decisions given that render
their provisions nugatOry.
One Law for Rich, Another for Poor
"These and other decisions force US to
the belief that there is one law, or the COLI
struction of it, for the poor man and an
other for the rich. When this fact becomes
patent to the masses of the people, as It
surely will, the remedy or the attempt at
it, will be swift and it may be terrible II
is said that the blood of the martyrs was
the seed of the church. it is possible that
through the blood of the men that died on
the banks OF the Monougahela last July
may come realization of the true condi-
tion of affairs, and that the legislation of
the future will he in favor of the masses
rather than for the aggrandizement of the
few
The Secretary's Report.
Gompers made the response, III the course
of whiC b he made fling at the Pennsy-
vania Judiciary, and then reports were IN
order. The secretary reported that i'll Is,
277 new charters had been granted. "ln
eight charters have been issued To
national unions, making a total of 2s5 for
the year, the largest number of charters
that have been issued during any one year
since the American Federation of Labor
has been organized. The national unions
affiliated have also received through the
offices of the American Federation of Labor
thirty-seven applications. an item well
worthy Of consideration, since it demon
strates the interest that has been mani
tested by our organizers in the various
cities of the country and the value of their
aid TO national unions in organizing locals
the officers themselves are unable to reach"
Gompers View of the situation.
The principal interest in the session YES
terday centered in what Samuel H. Com
pers would say in his annual address. 1t
Opened with a review Of recent events in
the labor field which have aroused public
attention, because the incidents connected
with them have been more or less of an un-
usual character. 1t refers to recent strikes,
and says: "ln each of these struggles the
EMPLOYERS, the corporations. have simply
made a request and the armed forces of the
states and the United States were at their
The Tennessee trou bles were de-
scri;,ed as caused nv the failure of legal
means to secure relief from a great wrong
making the only means tp fc+4Cn the Du blir
conscience p violent one.
Homestead Riot Justified.
Speaking Of the Homestead strike the re-
mort SAYS: AT Homestead, where the iron
and steel workers We're offered a wholesale
reduction in their wages. an armed band
of marauders. sailing under no flag, owing
allegiance to no state or country land, CON
seauently, by the law of all nations con-
sidered pirates), was brought by the cor
porations TO invade that peaceful town. to
aid in the effort to supplant their labor by
a poorer and demoralized set of human be-
ings. The men of Homestead, seeing their
liberties endangered, took up arms against
the invaders and repelled them"
OF the switchmen's strike at Buffalo. the
report states that the demand for ten
hours work was treated contemptuouslv
by the railroad corporations, and as a con-
sequence the men went out on a strike and
then, because some irresponsible persons
a pumber of cars, the militia of
the state of New York was called out and
at Buffalo, doing switch
mems work and even forcing men to work