The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1894-12-15
PRECEDENT Gompers Calls the
Federation to Order.
NUMEROUS ILLS TO CURE
Annual Address Shows "A Decided Oppo-
sition TO Compulsory Arbi-
trat'on Schemes.

dl bOutleSilln ana Lawrence streets,
and where in times gone by representa-
tives of millions of dollars invested in
trade and commerce We're wont to daily
assemble, there were gathered this
morning hundreds of representatives of
the bone and sinew the muscle and the
energy of the toiling millions of the
United States They We're the delegates
10 the fourteenth annual convention of
the American Federation of Labor, and
among them was represented every
trade and every industry of the new
world. 1t was an assemblage of brawny.
fine looking, intellectual representa-
tives of the toilers, and one that must
have Immediately impressed itself on
the mind of John Burns and his associ-
ates from the old country. The hall
was handsomely decorated with the
banners and flags of the local labor or
CARNATIONS, several hundred members
OF which occupied the galleries. Prompt
Iy at 10 o'clock President Samuel Com
pers, z. j. Mcguire and w H Marden
mounted the rOstrum, escOrting respec-
IVely John Burns, David Holmes and
John Williams Benn, the English labor
members of parliament, who have come
TO this country as fraternal delegates
from the organized labor of England
Their appearance was the signal for up
roarious and prolonged applause, the
delegates rising and continuing the en-
thusiastic greeting for several mo-
ments After quiet had been restored
welcomes were expressed in behalf of
the state of Colorado. the city of Den
Yer and the labor unions of the NUM-
cipality, and appropriate responses
We're made by President Gompers and
several of the delegates. President
Rhody Kenehan, Of the Denver Trades
Assembly, delivered the address of well
come, to which Gompers briefly replied
Gompers spoke feelingly of the almost
desperate condition of labor at the pres
ent time. Referring to the innovation
Of holding this convention SO far west
as Denver, he suggested that within a
decade the westward movement Of in
dustry might take the conventions of
the federation to the Golden Gate.
John Burns, the English labor leader.
entered the hall and was greeted with
storm of applause.
THE CALL READ.
These formalities over, Secretary
Chris Evans proceeded to read the call
for the gathering. This said in part:
1T is not amiss to call your attention
to the fact that the past year has wit
messed strange scenes and incidents, so
strange that the whole world stood
aghast lest the free institutions of our
country were about to be shattered, the
rights secured and guaranteed were to
be treated with contempt and the
liberties of our people trampled under
foot. The judiciary, yielding to the
wealth and bidding of avaricious corpo-
ba hxr do
of injunctions restraining union men
from exercising their natural and legal
rights, and furnishing them for con-
tempt, practically flung to the winds |
the right of trial by jury The right of |
the masses of labor to organize for self |
protection is placed in jeopardy: the |
courts deciding our organizations to be |
conspiracies. For the first time in the |
history of the country, and in contra |
Vention to all constitutional laws and |
rights, the federal troops, in spite of /
and against the protests of the state au- |
thorities, were sent into several states |
ostensibly to maintain interstate COM !
merce uninterrupted, but in truth to
overawe workmen engaged in a contest
in defense of their rights and to aid /
their fellow workers.
These facts must receive our consid- /
Grafton, and in no uncertain tones must
we declare our position on them, and
our unceasing effort for their solution,
and the final emancipation Of labor
For more than year the people of on
country have been suffering from
great industrial, commercial and finan-
cial crisis. Hundreds of thousands of
our fellow workers have been vainly
seeking opportunities to earn their
bread by the sweat of their brows.
Though this lack of emplG yment is in
no wise the fault of the workers. vet
the unemployed are mainly dependent
on our efforts for their relief; hence
wise legislation, some tangible, even he
roic action Of our convention will be
necessary to relieve us from those awful
conditions which confront us. Some ac-
ton must be taken by which both those
over-employed and unemployed may be
benefited and relieved of their burdens.
The failure of congress to give heed to
the voice and demands of labor legisla-
ton deserves our greatest thought The
efforts to unite labor's forces must be
carried to successful end"
ADDRESS BY PATTERSON.
Thomas M. Patterson of Denver de-
livered an address on "Labors Rough
and Noble Struggle" His delineation
of the Industrial conditions, past and
present, was received with frequent APP
plause One Of the changes in situation
from the past he attributed to the in
crease Of corporations He said that
while the individual proper might feel