Evening star., 1901-08-28
SOMETHING IN RESERVE
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF LABOR
AND THE STEEL STRIKE.
President Samuel Gompers Hints at
workers Who Walked Out.

The Federation of Labor, according to Mr..
Sam'l Gompers, its president, is exerting
all it's moral support in aid of the Anal
gamated Association in it's strike against
the steel trust, and is preparing to go still
further in assisting to bring the movement
to a successful issue. Mr.. Gompers, who
returned to Washington last night after
visit to Pittsburg, New York and other
cities, declined to say in what direction
and to what extent the further assistance
he indicated would be given, preferring to
act when the time came, he said, rather
than to anticipate probabilities of the fu-
ture.
He was in constant communication, he
said, with members of the executive coun-
Gil of the Federation Of Labor both by
mail and telegraph, but whether there
would be a meeting of that body to take
any sympathetic action in behalf of the
steel strikers he would not say. lie as
serted that the cause of the steel men was
now in excellent condition and said he saw
no reason why settlement alike nonor-
able to both sides should not be reached
a settlement that would prevent the crush
ing of the association and the humiliation
of the men and that would not impair the
interests of capital represented TO TINS
end the American Federation, he SAID,
would devote its energies.
Mr.. Gompers was with the members OF
the advisory board of the National Civic
Federation, which is interesting itself IN
behalf of the settlement of the street
strike. when they called on President Shat
fer. The latter, however, said at the time
that the peace efforts being made by the
Civic Federation were without authority
from him, and yesterday he reiterated this
declaration, and further announced that IL
official overtures for peace were made by
the steel combine they would be considered,
but that was all.
TubewOrkers and Strike Benefits.
Little Importance is attached by labor
leaders here to the statement from Pitts
burg that the organized tube workers of
McKeesport and elsewhere who struck in
sympathy with the Amalgamated men will
find themselves in difficulty with the Amer
ican Federation Of Labor, to which they
belong.
The dispatches state that these men will
not be entitled to receive strike benefits
from the fund, because they walked out
without first making statement of their
grievances or cause to the general officers
OF the Federation of Labor for approval, as
required by the contribution of the Feder-
alton. 1t was said this morning by man
familiar with the sentiment and situation
of the Federation that the tube workers
would find they had not incurred any such
penalty as alleged, but on the other hand.
had strengthened their position in the or
ganizatfon by their action. The clause in
the constitution alluded to- he remarked,
referred, he believed, only to actual and
not sympathetic strikes. He was Of the
opinion that the announcement in MckeeS-
port and Pittsburg was made by oppo-
nents of the strike, who imagined the tube
workers might be frightened into going
back to work when they thought no strike
benefits would be allowed them.