The Topeka state journal., 1899-12-16
TO GIVE CP PARTIES.
Resolutions Adopted by American
Federation of Labor.

Detroit, Mich, Dec. 16-A resolution
recommending members of labor bodies
to use their election ballots independ-
emily of the predOminating political
parties was adopted by the American
Federal tiOn of Labor after first eliminat-
ing a declaratiO of suspicion against
labor men who might advocate the in
terests of the present political parties.
A provision for submitting the question
to a. referendum vote of all the affiliated
organizations was also stricken out;
the resolution as amended in commit
tee and adopted reads as follows:
Whereas. The various reports sub
mitted to our trade union officials are
in effect that so far as our efforts by
petitions and interviews with the leg
islatures of the various state and fed
eral government are concerned, little
has been accomplished by the above
mentioned methods; for where a So
called labor law is passed it is either
declared unconstitutional by the court
or allowed to remain a dead letter on
the statute books.
RESOLVED, That this federation
recommends that the various central
and local bodies of labor in the United
States take steps to use their ballots,
their political power, on independent
lines as enuncfated in the principles and
declarations of the American Fedora
ton of Labor"
A resolution urging all union labor
men to more clearly define their crafts
mems duties was warmly argued upon
as being one of the most important and
labor. Among the speakers was P. ].
MCGUIRE He held that the resolution
was insufficient to cover the matter,
since it contained nothing to prevent
trades organizations from claiming jur-
isdictiOn over branches of employees not
strictly of their own calling. He
doubted whether the question could be
settled by the convention. Secretary
Frank Morrison deprecated the idea of
the convention trying to dictate where
the work of various crafts began and
lion r.eaf 4rA6
the committee on organization, pending
reports from the grievance committee
as to similar troubles.
Action was unanimously taken
toward bridging the chasm between the
rival painters organizations. The ex-
ecutive council was directed to call
a joint convention of the two belliger-
entS within six months, a special COM
mittee of three to be appointed to act
with the joint meeting and finally set
tie the questions on which they have
issued to the new national and the
charter of the present federated body
to be revoked Immediately after the
joint meeting.
Other resolutions were adopted as
follows:
Protesting against the use of govern
ment employees (marine band) for prl-
Vate purposes; endorsing eight hour
day for boiler makers; directing the
president of the federation to lobby
against convict labor laws; for election
of senators by popular vote: directing
executive council to confer with crack
er baking trusts in an effort to induce
them to recognize union labor; for ap-
pOintment of next mining inspector of
Missouri from the ranks of the zinc and
lead miners; denOuncing anti-ticket
scaIping laws; favoring a national law
for reducing hours of labor; directing
that the executive councillors represent
the federation at meetings of the var
ious branches of railway employees, with
a view to closer alliance with the fed
Grafton.