The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-12-13
LABOR'S WATCHWORD.
President Gompers Says 1t Is Or.
ganization
AND MAKES SOME REMARKS ABOUT
ARMED FORCES.

Annual Convention of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor in Philadelphia--The
President Urges Agitation for the
Eight Hour Day and Against Immi-
gration-He Protests Against Closing
the Worlds Fair on Sundays.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, December H.
The American Federation of Labor met
here in annual session today, President
Gompers, in his annual report, which
was read during the session, says:
':Events have transpired on the field of
labor within the past six months which
have aroused public attention, because
the incidents connected with them have
been more OF less of an unusual charac-
| ter. In each of these labor struggles.
! the employers and the corporations, have
simply made request and the armed
forces of the states and the United States
were at their bidding.
ssIn the coal mines of Tennessee, at
Homestead, Buffalo and Occur D'Alene.
united labor has defended itself from
| the crushing tyranny of monopolistic
power. These cases certainly call for
| the serious consideration Of the dele
| gates to this convention. They are
fraught with pregnant and burning
| questions of the hour. We have duty
| to perform, and we should not shrlnk'
from doing it.
| sThe efforts of the toiling
masses of our country to carry on
| the struggle for improved conditions
have been met in the spirit of the bitter
| est antagonism. Our methods to gradu-
| ally improve the condition of the masses
| have been regarded and treated as if we
| were the enemies rather than the friends
| of the human family. War has prac,i-
cally been declared against the labor or
| ganizations, and war measures resorted
| to in the effort to crush them.
''Bat will they be crushed? We ans
| wer no; thousand times no. The labor
| movement is the manifestation of that
| unrest born of the conviction that injus-
! tice prevails which needs remedying and
supplanting by justice and right. The
| labor movement voices the aspirations OF
| the toiling masses as well as lays bare
their wrongs. 1t is the means through
! which tyranny is held in check. 1t lives
| in their rlinds and hearts, and will not
and cannot be crushed.
Organization is the Watchword
of the hour, made necessary by the ten
dency and results of corporate power to
brutalize and degrade. Legis alton is
! also of incalculable value to us, and in
order to secure this boon we should en-
| deavor to wean the workers from politi-
cal followers of any party by whatever
name known"
Mr. Gompers islconvinced that further
aggressive action in the effort to estab-
lish an eight-hour work day will be pro-
ductiye of good results. He urges the
| convention to formulate and demand
| legislation against restricted immigra-
ton and declares that the action of Con-
| gress in closing the worlds fair on Sun
DAYS " as a piece of legislation entirely
| foreign to its sphere. A note to the gen
eral officers of the Knights of Labor sug-
| gesting that a conference be had to dis
| cuss their original and the Federations's
| counter propositions was replied to in
| discourteous and insolent manner and
| since that time the Federation's officers
| have heard nothing further in reference
| to the matter.
Resolutions were adopted denouncing
| the proposed awarding of the contract
for the worlds fair catalogue to non
union publishing house and demanding
that the work be given to union con-
cern 1t was stated in behalf of the res
olution that the printers of Chicago had
| subscribed 100000 toward the fair un-
| der the belief it would be of great bene-
| fit to labor, and that it was now proposed
! to make the award to the only printing
house in Chicago which is
Antagonistic to Labor Interests.
Secretary Evans, in his report, says
that during the year ending October 81,
| 1892. 2e5 charters were issued in 32
states of the union, the largest number
| Of charters issued during any one year
| since the American Federation of Labor
was organized. The national unions af-
filiated have also received through the
| officers Of the American Federation of
Labor 81 applications, an item well
| worthy of consideration. The total re-
ceipts for the year ending October 81,
1892, were $25.990; balance on hand
S76e6. On November /, 1891, $4323 was
in the treasury from assessments. and
$3S25 in the general fund. During the
wear the total receipts from donations and
7 assessments were S4479. A large part of
this sum has been loaned to various Ia
Dor organizations, leaving a balance in
the treasury of $94S from donations and
assessments, and S6717 in the general
fund, an increase over that of last year
of $3.50.
Operators Leave Their Keys.