The record-union., 1898-12-20
FEDERATION OF LABOR.
GOES ON RECORD CONCERNING
WOMEN WORKERS,
Decides to Bring the Struggle for
an Eight-Hour Working Day to
Climax Next May.

KANSAS CITY, Dec. lathe Amer
lean Federation Of Labor opened the
second week of it's annual convention
to-day with many resolutions still un-
passed upon. To-day there was shown
a desire to hurry through with the
conventions business, and speechmak-
ing was left for another time.
One Of the resolutions was for Gov
ernment ownership of system of tele-
graph lines and adoption of a telegraph
system.
This latter resolution was the same
stereotyped resolution introduced in the
annual convention, and provides for a
system of telegraph lines supervised by
the Postoffice Department
John M. Hanter, President Of the
United Mine Workers Of Illinois. shook
the convention up by reviewing the
strike at Virden, where the strikers
only obtained a victory after a battle
and bloodshed. He thanked Governor
Tanner for not calling out troops to
protect the mine-owners.
The convention again put itself on
record concerning the woman worker
problem, by adopting this resolutions:
I'm view of the awful condition under
which women are compelled to- toll, this
eighteenth annual convention of the
American Federation of Labor strongly
urges the more general formation Of
trades unions of wage-W working women,
to the end that they may scientifically
and permanently abolish the terrible
evils accompanying their weakness. be-
cause of their unorganized state, and
we emphatically reiterate the trade
union demand that women receive
equal compensation for labor per-
formed
1t was decided to bring the struggle
for an eight-hour working day to a eli
max in the year 1900 On May 1st the
Granite Cutters of America will ask
their employees to choose between yield
ing to their demands for an eight-hour
day, or suffering the consequences of a
general strike
James Duncan, the delegate to the
convention from the Granite Workers,
announced their decision on the floor
of the convention this evening, and
asked the support of the Federation
He said the Granite Workers had COM
mitted themselves to the Introduction Of
an eight-hour day by inserting a pro-
vision to that end in their constitu-
tion.
Following Duncan's statement the
convention adopted unanimously a re-
port submitted by David Black, Chair
man of the Committee of an Eight-hour
Work Day, pledging to the Granite
Cutters in their coming struggle the
moral and material support of all affil-
lated organizations Of the American
Federation of Labor.
The speeches on the subject indicated
a general belief that the employing
granite cutters will not stand out
against the demand,
Another work Of Importance accom-
plished by the convention to-day was
the settlement of contention between
local and national organizations Of the
walters. Acting upon the report of the
Board of Arbitration appointed last
week, the convention ordered the hold
ing of general convention of walters
next, at which it is expected all diff
ferences will be adjusted, both factions
having pledged the Arbitration Board
to abide by the legislation of the Chi
cago convention. The arbitrators also
demanded and were promised that the
conflicting local unions in Chicago and
st. Louis should be amalgamated at
once. This dispute of the walters has
extended throughout the country and
at one time threatened to disrupt the
Federation.