Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-09-15

President Refers View of the Principles
1t Should Adopt.

President Riefer's View of the Principles
1t Should Adopt.
Bloomington, Ills, Sept. 15.-Large at
tendance marked the opening session of
the fifteenth annual convention of the
Illinois Federation of Labor. which be-
gan here yesterday morning. President
Charles Refer called the meeting to
order and mayor Koch delivered the ad
dress of welcome, President Refer re-
spending. The principal business of the
morning was the adoption of resolutions
protesting against awarding the con-
tract for printing the national organ of
the Modern Woodmen to the Nebraska
State Journal company. a non-union
shop. The resolutions were telegraphed
to the meeting of the head officers of the
Woodmen, now in session at Fulton.
Ills, ana an answer was received stat
ing the matter was being considered.
In an interview President REFER
stated that the prospect for a settlement
| Of the miners strike in Illinois. by which
| an advance from the former scale is
| given, does not appear hopeful. In his
| address Refer paid particular attention
| to the acts of the last legislature and
| what he claims to have been its con-
| temptuouS treatment Of measures ia
| vored by the labor element: While many
| questions Of Importance will occupy the
| attention of the convention, that of the
| shooting by deputy sheriffs Of strikers in
| Pennsylvania overshadowed all others.
| The keynote Of President Refers ad
dress was the following paragraph:
Just go long as labor must divide the
| products Of its toll with those who con-
troll the opportunities to labor, just sc
long will millionaires and paupers alike
| exist in society. Superficial remedies are
| inadequate to subdue fundamental ills
He recommended the federation to take
a bold and unequivocal stand in favor
| of-First, the abolition Of land monopoly
by levying all taxes upon land values
| irrespective improvements, in lieu of al
other taxes; second, the government
ownership of railroads, telegraphs and
telephones. and their operation for the
convenience OF the people and for theil
! benefit; third, the municipal ownership
and control of all those public conven
fences which become necessity by rea
son Of the GENERALIZATION OF population
To emancipate labor, it II first Of al
necessary to destroy those whe enslav,
it." He also recommended the taking O
measures to secure action by congress
looking to the establishment and main
tenance Of postal savings banks.
AS soon as the president had ended hi
address j. E. FaZelow, of Chicago. Of
fered fiery resolutions protesting agains
the action of the deputies at Hazletol
Pa. The resolutions were a bitter denun
citation OF that action, stating that tn
victims, whose only crime was to marcl
| along the highway. were brutal,
slaughtered like swine for refusing I
obey the mandate of a blood thirst,
| gang Of highwaymen. The only remed
for these disastrous evils is the atolitio
of the courts, the removal of the cor
rupt judges, or the meeting Of the ere
my with his own weapons" The reso
buttons closed by stating that the tim
had arrived when men Of labor shout
be armed to be able to combat the hire
lings of the corporations. After a heate
DISCUSSION the resolutions were referred.
T J.O'Brien offered a resolution whic
was adopted to the effect that the trade
union movement is menaced by the e!
forts CT revolutionary agitators to diver
them with the true object of the organ
ization, assistance and encouragement {
labor combinations in maintaining equi,
able wages. and disclaiming and di:
avowing allimpracticable socialistic tbs
cries. and anarchism Of any kind.
Crowds at Iowa's STATE ram.
Des Moines. Ia. Sept. 15.-It is est
mated that 10000 visitors were in Il
city yesterday 10 see the state fai
Trains came in sections Of ten ar
twelve coaches each. The spectacle
the Siege of V;cksburg' was wi
messed by $4,000 people Monday nigh
and this evening the grand Semi o