The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-13
President Gompers Pleads for a
Closer Bond of Sympathy.
OPPOSED TO EXPANSION
Tho Eminent Labor Leader Believes That
Annexation OF the Philippines
Would Be Detrimental-The
Pana and virden Strikes.

About $50 delegates from all parts OF
the country were present. also Will
lam Thorne and william Inskip Of
London, representing the British trade
union congress. Delegate Inskip's mis-
sion is To present plans for closer
alliance between the United States and
the mother country along Industrial as
well as political lines.
After disposing of the usual prelimi-
nary matters of organization, President
Gompers delivered his annual address,
which was received by the delegates
with much enthusiasm.
Mr.. Gompers, referring to THE GU IS
| ton of International Comfy" said:
with the view of "A closer bond OF
sympathy and unity among the organ
| ized workers of the different countries,
correspondence with many OF them mas
been maintained and entered into with
| a number of others. From the offic ers
of our affiliated unions come the salts
factory reports that they are now in
closer touch with their fellow trade un-
ionists.
With eacn step taken in the direc-
tion to cement the bond OF fraternity
and the recognition OF the principle OF
darityin the nationall labor movement
we shall not only help &c bear each
others burdens, but continually make
those burdens lighter and be the lever
for that international brotherhood Of
man: the bonds of nations shall be a
thing of the past and the song OF the
poet. the dream OF the philosopher and
the hope OF the philanthropist and hu-
manitarian be achieved.
"Our fraternal delegates to the Brit
ish Trade Union congress, James Dun
and Harry I.lnNn rpnOrf that the
greetings which they received at the
hands OF our fellow trade unionists
abroad were OF the most marked gener-
Gus and gratifying character. We have
with us to-day the fraternal delegates
| from the British Trade Union congress
| to our convention, William Inskip and
| William Thorn, men who have Civ m
the best years of their lives to the or
! ganization OF the workers and the up
| lifting of the masses OF labor.
For the first time the convention last
year elected a fraternal delegate To the
Trade and Labor congress of Canada.
Thomas ]. Kidd. who. too. reported the
! cordiality Of his greeting and the in
terest i'm his mission. Our Canadian
fellow union has honored us by electing
a delegate to attend this convention in
the person OF II. A. Carey"
Under the head of mo Duality
Greater Federation" he said:
AS a result of the engineers strike
i'm Great Britain amalgamation OF union
with union and closer federation of all
IL the one point TO which the la Dor
movement there Is at present directed.
and duality Of organization in one
trade. so long prevailing in Great Brit
ain. Is fast passing away. our declara-
ton that no two organizations OF one
trade, claiming equal Jurisdiction. can
exist without conflict and injury. the
IL.
tablished OF one union of one trade. has
been taken as the slogan of the labor
movement OF Great Britain and We
shall soon see a soiidifed army of la
Dor there upon the most perfect lines to
achieve success.
And this state Of affairs teaches us a
lesson. too; that in struggling for The
upbuilding Of national and internation-
al trade unionism and also for main
tanning the integrity and entity of the
trade union. and with the development
Of industry. and the concentration II
wealth. IL becomes the bounden duty
OF our trades unions not only TO moral
ly but financially concentrate their ef-
forts in the battle OF offense and de-
fense. when any allied organization is
engaged in conflict"
Referring 10 the Pana and Nirden
strikes. Mr.. Gompers said:
THE operators sought to break their
agreement and the strike by importing
a horde OF ex-convicts. negro cheap Ia
borers from Alabama. and placing them
under an armed guard of Pinkerton
thugs and hirelings. That bloodshed
would ensue when an ignorant mass of
men armed were ready to do the bid
ding Of characterless men. could be
easily foreseen. Governor Tanner rec
ognized the hand OF men armed was
contrary To the laws NJ the state and
appreciating the strained condition OF
affairs. he declared martial law and in
sisted upon the disarmament of ALL"
He concluded this paragraph with
statement of matters taking a better
form there. with the promise Of a sat
isfactory settlement.
Mr.. Gompers stated the objections Of
the federation To the policy Of impe-
rlalism and expansion" as follows:
We cannot annex the Philippines
without a large increase in our stand
ing army. A large standing army is
repugnant to republican Institutions
and a menace TO the liberty OF our own
people. II we annex the Philippines We
shall have to conquer the Filipinos by
the force Of arms and thereby deny 10
them what we claim for ourselves-the
right Of self-government. We shall
surrender the present safe and indie
pendent position by which we are guar
duAffu Nur NidilfuiilAN dhu tue lIhlts Oi
peace. and force ourselves into Euro
pean and Asiatic entanglements. imply
ing war and preparation for war. We
shall seek % conquer by the force Of
arms instead Of by our industry. COM
merce and superior mentality and civil
ization. We shall be compelled to open
the gates 30 admit the Chinese. Malays
and slave laborsrs who may come from
our new possessions. since the consti-
tuition Of the United States torbids the
interdictiOn OF the free entry OF men
and their products between our states
and our territories The
policy OF Imperialism is a declaration
that self-government has failed and
that the people cannot be trusted: that
the dollar Is OF more consequence than
man, ard plutocracy and militarism no.
bier than humanity.
The attempts" he said, Ito divert