The San Francisco call., 1897-06-27
The American Federation
of Labor Takes Up
This Matter.
1t Has Been Presented to All
the Unions in the United
st teS.
Congress Will Be Asked to Act-Looal
Workingmen Are Greatly
Interested.

Within the next three months the union
labor element of this City, as we'll as that of
the entire country, will have an i'm portant
question to decide-whether foreign i'm
migration to this country should be re-
stricted or stopped entirely. This ques-
tion came up at the last convention of the
American Federation of Labor held in
December, 1895.
That convention appointed a special
committee for the purpose of consid ering
the subject OF i'm migration and to propose
such legislation on the question as should d
practically set forth the demands of organ
ized labor in the premises. Daring the
convention the committee made its report
favorable to restriction. The delegates,
however, acting upon the conviction that
the question was one on which the entire
membership, in their sovereign capacity,
should be consulted, decided that the
entire subject matter should be submitted
to the referendum,
Acting upon these lines the president
Samuel Gompers. has issued circular to
the labor unions of the United States that
are mem bers of the federation asking for
their opinion upon this subiecf. The cir
cular has been sent to other unions than
those OF the federation. In his letter Mr.
Gompers says:
The convention of the American Federation
OF Labor believed that before any furth at
temPts Ct legislative action on this subject
should be made the voice of organized la Dor
should be heard In distinctive and author
lied manner, so that in the future the officers
lnTusted with carrying out the wish of labor
may have the knowledge that the workers
have expressed their will in the matter and
that there shall be no question to the atti-
tude on this great subject. The executive
nnfT wi h.
question to a referendum of the mem bers de-
sire that the subject shall be fully understood
by them.
He said that in order to obtain a con-
sensus OF opinion upon the matter he
would submit the following questions to
the unions;
1. Does your organization favor amending
the laws of the United States to restrict i'm
nIigratl on more than il is now restricted? @
Does your organic tiou favor a provision in
the law guarding against criminal and pauper
elements entering into the United States =?
3. Should the foreign consular ser
vice and our immigration Department
be 1ntrusted with greater powers to
enforce immigration laws? 4. Should the Vfo-
laton of the alien contract labor law by en-
Ployers be punishable by imprisonment? s.
should the steamship companies be held re-
sponsible for term OF years for the character
and educational test be enforced as to uualifi-
cation for naturalization z. Should every
ton to become a citizen OF the United States?
What other provision does your organization
favor and suggest, If any, 10 further the re-
strlction OF immigration?
These circulars have arrived here and
the mem bers of the local unions are al
ready discussing the matter. Several
local labor leaders declined to discuss the
question. stating that the subject can only
come properly up in their espective bodies.
There, they say, the matter will be dis
cussed in all of its many features. The
National convention of the Federation of
Labor will be held in Nashville, Tenn,
next December, when the delegates will
deal with the subject with full knowl-
edge of what the labor unions of the
United States want
This federation, through the unions,
represents something over 750, 600 labor
ing men, and it is believed that when
Congress learns the wishes OF this repre-
sentative body OF citizens it Will listen to
its voice. 1t is the desire of the president
OF the federation 10 have the vote on the
questions submitted returned rot later
than October 80. Judging from the ex-
preston of a NUMBER of well known
union men it is safe 10 say that the ma
jority of the unions will vote in favor of
restriction in some form or other. 1t is
also likely that not few will express the
opinion that immigration should be
stopped altogether.