The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-06

TROUBLE CLEvERLY AvOIDEI
Mine Workers Delegates Seated and
the Threatening Color-Line
Fight Is sidetrncl1ed
Very Quickly.
REPORTS MAKE FINE SHOWING

SCRANTON, Pa, Dec. 5.-Two hun
dred and eighty-five delegates, represent
ing more than a million and half work
men, responded to the roll call at the
opening session of the twenty-first an
nual convention of the American Fedora
tion of Labor, which was called to order
by President Samuel Gompers in ST.
Thomas college hall at 1880 o'clock this
morning. The convention is said to be
the largest congress of workmen ever
held in this country. Organization, set
tlement of questions involving contested
seats, and the reading of the annual re-
ports of the president, secretary and
treasurer took up the entire time of the
convention.
An important question decided related
to the contested seat of the delegate from
the Central Labor Union of Richmond,
which body refused to admit negro work
men to it's organization. The dispute was
adjusted by seating the Central Labor
union representative and instructing the
executive board of the American Fedora
ton Of Labor to form a separate central
union for colored men.
Mine Workers Win Easily.
When the names Of delegates repre-
senting the United Mine Workers of
American were reached in the roll call,
stir was caused by c. L. Shamp, of Chi
cago, International secretary treasurer Of
the Brotherhood of Stationary Firemen
objecting to their being seated. He
maintained that the mine workers were
not entitled to representation in the con-
vention because the per capita tax Of
$4,000 had not been paid to the fedora
ton.
President Mitchell, of the mine workers
replied that his organization was not
asking for special privileges Several
thousand Of Its members were on strike
almost continually for the past two years
and he said he had asked the executive
board to remit the levy because the min
ers had paid an assessment of 5000 for
the all of the machinists. He said If
the convention decided that his organi-
cation was in arrears he would immedi-
ately draw a check for the amount due.
The matter went no further, and by an
almost unanimous vote the coal miners
representatives were seated
Separate Assembly for Negroes.
The negro question came before the
convention in the shape Of report from
the committee on credentials. William
e. Seal was elected by the Central Labor
Union of Richmond. Va, to represent it
at the convention. It appears that the
Richmond central body refused to admit
to membership negro workmen belonging
to colored tobacco workers unions In
Richmond. Henry Fischer, president of
the National Tobacco Workers union,
was instructed by two local colored
unions of Richmond to oppose the seat
ing of Seal on the ground that the or
ganiZation he represented drew the color
line. The committee heard both sides
and recommended that Seal be seated,
and also recommended that the execu-
tive board Of the American Federation
of Labor be instructed to form sepa-
rate negro central union in Richmond.
The recommendations were accepted by
the convention without opposition.
Big Gain in Membership.
The annual reports of President Comp
ers, Secretary Frank Morrison and Treas
urer John B. Lennon were made publ:
today.
Mr. Gompers' report showed a net In
crease of 311 local unions for the year
and gain of 364, ,410 members From ra-
tional and international unions and the
federation direct there were issued i,056
charters for newly formed unions; anl
charters surrendered or unions disbanded
numbered 1,150. On Oct 81 last there
were affiliated with the federation: Ma
tional and International unions, 81; city
central labor unions, 327 state fedora
tions of labor, 20; local trade unions hav-
ing no national or international, $50; and
federal labor unions, $685. There were four