The times., 1898-01-02
In THE WORLD OF LABOR.

During the past week, at least, since it
/ was published the reply Of MIR. san lei
Gompers, president OF the nerican Fed
/ GRAFTON OF La hor, To the open lett n Of
| Secretary OF the Treasury Gage has been
| the chief topic Of discussion among snc
local members of orpanized labor.
Aside from the areunentatiye manner in
which Mr., Con pers treats the subject, his
| reply is what his friends predicted it would
/ be, manly. open aud tJ III, point. He ia k.-s
I pains to show Mr.. Gage that he has mis-
understood the IL tent and purpose of the
/ resolutions adopted by the A meIican Fed
! Grafton at its annual convention. These
! resolutions, as Mr.. Gompers states ,lere
( not adopted with view OF criticising
/ Mr.. Cages financial plan, but simply to
! voice the sentiments or the toiIing ma sSes
/ or the Country \ 5 whole, Mr.. Com
! peTs's letter is Considered by the rank and
4 file Of organized Ia Dor as q clear, Logical
i and forcihle argument against MIR. Cages
! plan, being Compilation of statements
OF facts which it will be impossible or
( the Honorable Secretary to- Tefute.
BY the way after res ding Mr.. Comp RS
letter il will be in order for Mr.. Glse, &c
cordine to promise to announse cha 1g,, Of
Iii7 iitiAtidi 1t VS.. III tHiH NOLltiFttilH IL
is only fair to say that Mr. Gage made an
unfair proposition to Mr.. GOmpers, wien
he made the conditions on which lie
would change his financial views. sir.
Gage had listened to the thunder a nd vith-
stood the shock from the heaviest sound
finance batteries during the last presi-
Dental campaign without capitulating and
now during the Christmas holidays invites
n q Daa IF m ,i,c
cussion of firance. The Secretary, now
ever, has evidently roased the wrong man,
for it is the unanimous opinion of the riom-
bers % organized labor that Mr. Goinpers,
figuratvely speaking, has not left Mr..
Gage single peg on which to hang his
financial views.
1t is understood that many OF the eai,ipg
local trades unionists do not approve of
the organization of the building trades into
a national union. 1t is argued by them
that the conditions being different in diff
ferent parts OF the United States it will
be impracticable to arrange a standing
scale of wages, which can be adopted and
enforced in all parts of the county,
Another reason advanced is that in order
for the National Union to be of any force
the individual organiZa tiorIs would he COM
PEELED to surrender the trade autoarny
In case this was not dona ana the various
Graf; organiza tions stili retained the right
TO regHlate ;lreir own trade affairs che
national orga anigatio,t. its opponents say,
would be a union in name only.
On the other hand. the supporters If a
DatioI al union of the building III rs main
tain that there is much 30 he gained from
such Il movement. The relation Of the
.t.l;, Il, III.
that they can more easily and effectia ely
advance the interests OF the members, both
of the individual trades unions and the
members as q whole. For instance. a
national union wetild have great influence
in regulating wages OF artisans going
from one city TO another to work inter
CONTRACT. This argument is very appli-
cable to the situation right here III Wash
ington, where so many contractors from
other cities come to WORK. In such cases
the power OF a national union of the
building ira des viii be found very effective.
Should one of these contractors elect
to briug his workmen with him from some
other city, simply because the rate of
wages at home is less than it is in Washing
ton he would find that this would not
profit him. for the moment he arrived here
rent rate of wages. In the event OF his
refusing to do So and attempting TO
work .scabs,'' he would he Handicapped
by the other trades, hich would re.
fuse to work on the same building with
his employees. The influence of the IA
tionaI union in such cases wonld be FAR
reaching, for the importer of cheap la abor
would fir q himself boycotted both at home
and abroad.
Aside fi0m the advantages to be gained
by the members of the building trades the
organization Of a national union of those
crafts is locked upon with suspicion by the
In the MIDDLE Of the road, dyed in the wool
trades union;sts. 1t is looked upon as the
entering wedge in the dissolution and dis
integration of the American Federation
of Labor. Atthe last Convention of the Fed
GRAFTON 1t will be remembered that there
4 great deal OF talk among tie t-ela-
gates rs to the advfsability Of a division of
the organization into Eastern and West