St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-15
FIGHT SHY OF The TARIFF.
LABOR LENDERS M CHICAGO REFUSE.
TO TxKE ACTION
PoNDEROUs PLATFORM MADE

Eight-Hour Work Days. CompuI-
sorry Education, Abolition of
Contract Labor and the Sweat
ing System, Government Own
ership of lighting, Telegraph
and Railways, All Advocated
CHICAGO, Dec. 1.-THE delegates to
the American Federation of Labor to-
DAY refused to take action on resQlu-
ton touching upon the question of the
tariff. The matter came up in the form
of communication from the plush
workers of Bridgeport, Conn.,, which
declared that after the passage of the
Mckinley bill their wages had been re-
duced, and their employers threaten a
further reduction in the event of the
passage of the Wilson bill. The CON-
munication was laid Oh the table. and
the delegates fought shy of any discus
sion on the subject. At the request of
200 students of the Chicago Theological
seminary, two representatives of the
federation were appointed to expound
Its principles at gathering of students
this evening. A number of resolutions
were adopted as
THE SENTIMENT
OF the convention as it came from the
committee. The theory of the govern
ment ownership of the telegraphic sys-
tenn OF the country was approved; the
election of United States senators by
popular vote was Endorsed; the presl-
dent of the federation was authorized
to draft bill making it compulsory for
manufacturers to place exhaust fans in
their manufactures. The convention
expressed itself as being in favor of
compulsory education. 1t was resolved
to petition congress to enact law
establishing postal savings banks in
view of the inadequacy, as the resolu-
ton expressed it, of the present national
banking system.
Representative Lewis Nash, of the
Retail Clerks National association, read
paper on the future usefulness of the
federation. He advocated government
ownership of the telegraph and the
railroads. He said the country now
has too much law, with too little justice.
1--WE should stand shoulder to
shoulder on election day and vote for
measures, not for men; for statesmen,
not for politicians; for humanitarlans,
not for demagogues."
Chairman Morgan, of the committee
on resolutions, submitted programme
for the naturalization of the railways,
mines, telegraph. etc., as proposed by
ENGLISH ECONOMISTS,
as basis for the political labor move
ment. A motion to have the matter pre-
sented to the organizations of the feder-
alton, for the purpose of having their
delegates instructed to vote upon it at
the next convention of the federation.
received the support of a number of
delegates and the disapproval of others.
The platform has twelve planks in 1t, as
follows:
Compulsory education; direct legisla-
ton; legal eight-hour work day; san
itary inspection of workshops, mines
and homes; liability of employers for
physical disability, and abolition of con-
tract labor i'll all public work; abolition
OF the sweating system: municipal own
ershlp OF street cars, electric light and
gas plants; naturalization of telegraph,
telephone. railways and mines; col
lective ownership by the people of all
The principle of referendum in all leg
islation. 1t was moved to have the res
olutiOns taken up and voted on seriatim.
There was contest this afternoon
between the conservative and socialistic
delegates regarding the adoption of the
principles of a platform to be submitted
at the next annual convention. The
conservatives came out ahead. The
committee on resolutions brought up
programme containing the fundamental
principles of Independent labor politics.
A recommendation accompanied the re-
port, to the effect that the planks should
be submitted to the favorable consider
alton of the labor organizations repre-
scented, the socialistic delegates being
against the word Favorable" and the
conservatives in favor of it. A resolu-
ton WAS adopted favoring series of
national and international congresses
or conferences of labor, the same to
eliminate May 1, 1901, in an interna-
tional demonstration of labor organiZa-
lions in all countries