The San Francisco call., 1898-12-18
PRESIDENT G0MPERS' SPEECH
DENoUNCES THE ATTEMPT TO
 WRECK UNIONISM.
Declares the Socialists Have Be- smirched the Name of Labor and Attacked Its
 Integrity.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

KANSAS CIAY, Dec. T.-A forlorn hope was never bolstered by more nery eloouence than the Socialists among the delegates to the American Federa- ton of Labor put forth in behalf ot the principles which they believe offer the true relief from grinding industrial conditions and oppression of capital at tbis mornings session. The Federation is onnosed to committing itself to the indorsement of any political party, and has voted in each annual convention 10 this effect. Democrats and Republicans have given their efforts on pehaI or their theories of government, but the Socialists have not. Each year when the convention meets they are on hand' They realize that their work will be Tn vain Us far as practical, definite results are concer. d, but they glory in the az itation they cause and in the fact that they make converts in secret.
 The entire morning sess; to-day was spent along these lines. While the speechmaking was at it's helght Presl- dent Gompers took hand ana de- nounced the efforts of the Socialists to infuse their doctrines into those oI the unionistS He said:
 .This question involves the integrity
 
 of the labor classes of our country. Either the trades union movement is right or t is rong. We must either declare for the union movement, with out frills or follies, or make an admfs- sion that it is wrong.
 By their deeds shall ye know them, rather than with their honeyed words by which they seek to lure us. If they were to express themselves in this con- yention as they express themselves outside they know they would not be tolerated for two minutes. l propose to call attention to the mask and the real face These men who ask you to con- init yourselves to this movement nave in the past done all that man can do to disrupt the trades unions One of the parties referred to called a convention to form rival to the Federation. At that convention they, on broad streamer, emblazoned in letters of red, Wreck the Old Trades Unions and Pull for Socialism
 They have besmirched the name of labor. They have attacked the integrity of the men wh have tried to better the conditions of labor. They have attacked conservatism and everything that is good for our cause.
 If their propositions were likely to advance the interests of labor, l would give them my adherence at once, but knOWlni as do tHdl every @eeeiiIpl al diverting our efforts has been followed by an era of -ertia and indifference, cannot subscribe to them.
 Rather Ian turn our unions into ward clubs, w, are working on the line that will better our interests before the whole country.
 T knos that progress is necessarily slow and there is no such thing as a short cut to the millennium. l am sure we are on the path of progress. We should be broad and comprehensive in all we do and the day of labor's eman- cipation will soon come"
 treat applause followed MT. Com pers' remarks, and Henry Lloyd of Bos- ton, the conservative economist took the floor. He went after the socialists without gloves.
 It was the sense of his remarks that if the Federation tied itself to any