Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1898-12-31
GONPER'S POPULARITY.
BE Is Again Chosen President Of
the American Federation.
ONLY ONE VOTE AGAINST HIM.

The Federation Votes Against the Pro-
posed Tax on Factories Employing
Women and Children, on the Ground
That 1t Would Legalize Child Labor.
Kansas City, Mo-, Dec. 2.-Samuel
Gompers was yesterday reelected
president of the American Federation
of Labor by a practically unanimous
vote at the closing session of the 18th
annual convention of that organization.
The convention, which had been in ses-
sion for eight days, adjourned sine die
at o'clock last evening. Detroit,
Mich, was decided upon as the next
place Of meeting.
During the election of president Will
lam j. O'Brien, of New York, was in
the chair. George E. Mcneil. of Bos-
ton, placed Mr.. Gompers in nomina-
ton He said he might never again
attend a convention of the Federation
and he wanted the honor of naming
Mr.. Gompers for the place. He said:
"Mr. Gompers has been tried and found
true. He can not be corrupted. When
we get a good man in a place we should
keep him there"
The greatest applause followed Mr..
McNeilFs remarks.
John Kirby, of Ouray Colo, said the
miners of the west were looking more
to Mr.. Gompers to aid them in their
struggles than any one else.
There were no other nominees and
Henry Lloyd. of Massachusetts, moved
that the vote of the convention be cast
for Mr.. Gompers. This was done amid
great cheering. Isaac Cowan, the Cleve-
land socialist. objected, and his vote
was recorded against Mr.. Gompers.
With the exception of the fourth.
fifth and sixth vice presidents and
three fraternal delegates the rest of
the old officers were elected without
any opposition. The remainder of the
ticket follows: First vice president, z.
J. Mcclure, Philadelphia second vice
president, James Duncan, Baltimore;
third vice president, James O'Connell.
Chicago; fourth vice PRECEDENT, John
F. Mitchell. Indianapolis; fifth vice
president. Max Morris, Denver; sixth
vice president, Thomas |. Kidd, Chi
cago: secretary, Frank Morrison Chi
cago: treasurer. John B. Lennon,
Bloomington, Ills.
Fraternal delegates-4To the Union
Congress of Great Britain: Thomas T.
Tracey. New York, of the Cigarmakers'
union, and James O'Connell, Chicago.
of the Machinists' union. To the Trade
and Labor Congress of Canada: John
= O'Sullivan, Boston, of the Massa-
chusetts state branch.
The convention spent most of yes
terday in amending its constitution and
providing means for widening the scope
of it's work The Federation increased
the per capita tax upon mem1vrs of
trades union organizations from three
fourths of i per cent TO five cents per
month. the money to be used to sup
port TIE Federation.
The resolution of J. f. O. Sullivan, OF
Boston, looking to a bill in congress to
impose internal revenue tax against all
factories employing women and chill
dren overtime was killed.
The committee on laws reported
against the measure on the ground
that IT would legalze the employment
of children as laborers In support of
his resolution Mr.. O'Sullivan said that
he had been before the legislature Of
Massachusetts when lawyers argued
the constitutionaHty of an act to tax
factories which employed children. He
said that these lawyers all agreed that
such a tax was constitutional and that
it was generally agreed that the only
way to stop factory keepers from hir-
ing children was to tax them out of
existence. Mr.. O'Sullivan proposed that
such factories be made to pay an in
ternal revenue tax of so per cent of
their gross products.