The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-04-04
LABOR CONFERENCE.
DELAY THAT is FULL OF DANGER FOR
THE NOTTINGHAM.

anan Again Reads the Future.
Three months and over have elapsed
since the American Federation of Labor
notified the general officers of the
Knights of Labor that the orders invi-
tation to appoint a conference commit
tee had been complied with, and the
conference has not yet been held. I'm
der ordinary circumstances three months
might not be considered very long pc
Rod to consume in arranging for mat
ter OF so much Importance as getting
the various labor organizations into
close touch,' but the circumstances
which have pressed the labor org1-,.-c.
lions upon all sides during tie past few
months, and which are still present, have
been and are fa~ from ordinary. Be
sides, it does not look as if the day Of the
proposed conference is any closer than it
was last Christmas. Who is to blame
for the delay am not fully prepared to
say, but in justice one thing must be
said, and that is that no blame can at
tach to the American Federation of La
Dor or to it's committee.
The current number of The Fedora
ZIONIST gives in full the correspondence
which has passed between Mr.. Gompers
of the Federation and Mr. Hayes of the
Knights relative to date for the confer
ence. According to Mr.. Hayes, the de-
lay, in the first place, was occasioned by
the absence from Philadelphia Of G.. M.
w. Sovereign, who is one Of the Knights
committee. The latest letter from Mr..
Hayes contains the statement that the
railroad organizations invited to partici-
pate in the conference have asked time
the engineers until May to consider and
act upon the invitation 1t is evident
that the federation committee feels that
somebody will be blamed for what will
look to the workingmen of the country
like unnecessary delay, for the following
note accompanies the correspondence in
The Federationist: ''In order that the re-
sponsibility for the delay in holding the
conference may be placed where it right
ly belongs and our fellow workers may
know that neither the American Fedora
ton Of Labor officers nor its conference
committee are blamable, we have deemed
it necessary to make public the CORE
spondence."
The officials Of the federation say that
number of complaints have reached
their office from affiliated unions charg-
ing that there lis purpose in the delay"
which purpose, it is alleged, is shown in
the warfare waged against the Garment
Workers in Boston by the Knights of La
Dor. While not sanctioning this charge
against Mr.. Hayes, | will say that I'M
less he can fix the blame upon the rail
way organizations he must admit the
responsibility for the delay. In his let
ter to Mr.. Gompers, bearing date March
10, Mr.. Hayes states that he has COM
munications from the Locomotive Fire
mon, dated March s, and the Railway
Trainmen, dated March 10, asking for
more time. The dates on these COM
munications indicate that Mr.. Hayes
was very slow in extending his invitation
took their time in replying and got
their answers in just in time to be men
toned in the answer to Mr.. Gompers'
very urgent letter There are nearly four
months to be accounted for between the
Knights of Labor convention, when the
resolution calling for the conference
was adopted, and the dates on the letters
referred to. In letters previous to that
one bearing date March 13 Mr. Hayes
wrote nothing to Mr.. Gompers concern
ing the railway organizations.
am not trying to make case against
Mr.. Hayes, and if l have grievance
against him it is the same that every
friend of organized labor has, and if he
is not responsible for the delay in
getting the conference committees to-
gether then l apologize to him here
and now. There has been careless
ness, Indifference or worse somewhere
that is, when one knows the need for
prompt action, little short of criminal
The labor movement Of the country,
divided as it now is, invites destruc-
ton. The wonder is that it has not
gone entirely to pieces during the past
six months. That it has not done so is
not guarantee that it can continue for
CNOl III lIo pIOSCIO SGdIt.
While the winter just past has been
hard one on the workers, there is worse
one to follow if those who have the pow
er and the influence do not organize and
prepare the army of labor to meet it.
There are few months Of grace. and
much depends upon the use we make of
the time.
There isn't anything wrong with my
liver, and am not trying to brighten
my readers. They will remember that
just about one year ago I said that the
year to follow would be harder than
any period the laboring people of the
country had ever before passed through.
Many said then that I was only trying
to engineer little scare, but I reckon I
was all right. know what am talk
ing about now. I haven't had any tips
through the agency Of clairvoyancy, and
! can't read the stars. Nothing Of that
sort is necessary. Any man who can
reason little bit has only to make
careful investigation and fit the facts to-
gether to see that we have reached a
stage where the old scheme of industry
will not operate to secure justice to all.
We have limped along with it about as far