Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1894-12-08
A WELCOME TO BURNS.
Tho Famous Labor Leader OF England
Warmly Greeted In New York.

Tho Famous Labor Loader of England
Warmly Greeted In New York.
New York, Dec. S.-John Burns, M.
p, and representative of amalRamated
labor in England, arrived here Sum
day on the Cunard steamer Etruria.
On reaching the pier Mr.. Burns re-
ceived hearty welcome from large
delegation composed of MEM
bers of the different trades
organizations. A brief address
of welcome was delivered by Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation of Labor to which Mr..
Burns responded appropriately. Mr..
Burns comes to this country as the
representative of the trades union
congress parliamentary committee of
England to attend the annual congress-
of the American Federation of Labor
in Denver, which begins on December
10.
In the afternoon Mr.. Burns visited
the Central Labor union and was en-
Enthusiastically greeted. In his remarks
he said he hoped to stay in America
long enough to make careful study
of the condition of the working classes.
ll6 ldOOT uONCuchk III NECdb
he said, was passing through the in
ternational phase, and this was caus-
ing alarm to the politicians who
seemed to be frightened at its develop
ments. He continued:
"You believe, with us In England. that frock
coats and high hats have had their day and
that the time has come when fustian and cor
duroy should have their innings II so, we
have got to fight for labor along the lines Of
the least resistance"
Mr.. Burns, during the day, gave an
audience to a number of newspaper
men. He said of his visit here that he
came first to observe the condition of
the labor movement in America and
learn in what respects it differed from
that in England; and second, as mem
ber of parliament to visit congress and
get a grasp of American political af-
fairs He continued:
81 have been watching the labor movement
in America as closely as / could from q dts
tance, and have concluded that there must bo
little more OF the milk of human kindness
injected into labor Affairs II they ore to prog
ress would like to see them progress"
Mr.. Burns is inclined to believe that
among the cosmopolitan American
people it is possible to bring about
concerted action for holding the
wealthy in check, to. prevent them
from increasing their holdings as rap
idly as heretofore, and he will devote
particular attention to the study of
that problem.
But above all, he declared, it was
for trade unionism thai he was to
work. He believed that ultimately
the principles of the trade union would
be universally regarded rs necessary
for carrying out any movement for
human progress The Pullman strike
and the report of the strike commits
sion Mr.. Burns declined to pass an
opinion on until he had visited Pull
man, which he meant to do. In Eng
land the strike has been watched
closely, and the general sentiment as
declared was that it had been success
| full.
Mr. Burns attention was called to q
recently published statement that he
had said American workmen We're mo
better than African slaves" That
statement" he replied 'is super.
structure of misconstruction based on
a mis- understanding of what l said.
Then he explained that his remarks
had concerned the condition of the
Hungarians and Italians of the coke
region as dericted in our blue books
land which, if true" he added, "is d
disgrace 10 any civilized country or
the face of the globe"
Mr.. Burns will leave New York or
Wednesday and will spend six week:
travelling through the states, He
comes here on the invitation of Henry
D. Lloyd, of Chicago, who represented
the American Federation of Labor a
the recent labor congress at Norwich