The record-union., 1898-12-15
Third Day Of the Annual Meeting at
Kansas City.
Speech Making Consumes the Forenoon
Session of the Convention.
A Resolution Adopted Protesting
Against the Anti-Scalping BILL
Recently Passed in the Lower
House Of Congress, and Another
Demanding a Law Imposing q
Tax on Incomes.

KANSAS CITY, Dec. 14.-Speech-
making consumed the morning session
| of the third day of the annual con-
vention of the American Federation OF
Labor. The delegates listened with in
| terest to the talks by William Thorne
and William Inskip, delegates from the
| British Labor Congress, and to a re-
| sponse thereto by President Samuel
GomperS.
| Mr.. Thorne said that labor should
| strive continuously for better organ
ization and more power in politics. In
| England, said he, one great element Of
organized labor powers was the fact
that political positions were held by so
| great a percentage OF unioniSts.
| Delegate Inskip urged not only a
stronger organization, but strongea
friendship between American and BritA
/ ish unionists. What was needed,
| he said was not only q federation Of
trades organizations, but federatiotl
| with our English-speaking Cousins.
| The sentiment was warmly cheered.
| Mr.. Inskip went on to express his
| belief in arbitration for the settlement
of all labor disputes, and enumerated
! instances of the settlement of British
strikes by arbitration, which had been
alone possible from the fact that arbi-
| traton in England was constructed on
| solid basis.
President Gompers said in the course
| Of his remarks that there was some
times apprehension as to the condf-
| tionS of workers of our country. A
| greater percentage of mechanical Ia
| bor outside the agricultural element,
! he said were organized in America
than on any part of the globe. Whle
/ 1a hot ,,,,jn ictp rafix
| in defending their principles in poll
| ties, citing the fact that seventeen
union men were members of the Colo
rado State Legislature, Mr.. Gompers
| nevertheless urged increased activity
along this line.
| Upon the employment of women Mr..
| Gompers said: THE American Feder-
| alton of Labor has always stood for
| the organization and recognition of
those women who are compelled of ne
cessity to work. But we do demand
now, and we must always demand,
equal pay for equal work.
These sentiments were greeted with
! applause.
| Mr.. Gompers gave a warm welcome
to the British delegates, and said that
| the closer the two English-speaking
nations came together in fraternal all
nance Cno SpeeOler WOulO approach IH1
| era of universal peace.
At the afternoon session a resolution
| presented by Adrian NJ. Jones of Chi
cago, protesting against the passage
of the anti-scalping bill recently passed.
by the National House of Representa-
tives, was adopted without discussion.
| The income-tax resolution offered by
| J. S. Kent of Nebraska was not adopt
| ed but this substitution was unani-
| mously indorsed:
Resolved, That the American Fed
GRAFTON of Labor is of the opinion that
the decisions of the Supreme Court on
the income tax are not in accord with
the Constitution or the spirit of the
American people, and that the Feder-
alton demand of Congress a law maxi
| ing a tax on incomes a. feature of Fed
eral taxation"
Convict labor came in for a share OF
the conventions attention. The reso~
| lutions concerning convict labor by c..
w. Coy were referred to the Executive
Council, with instructions that it take
such steps as may check it's encroach-
ments upon the interests of the honest
working people of the land.
The convention emphatically reaf-
frmed the boycott on the Americans
Tobacco Company, declaring it to be a
monopoly and a trust and to be under
| the ban Of organized labor.
At $50 o'clock the convention ads
| journed.