Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-12-19
BYRNE INTERVIEWED
Well Known Local Trade nionist
Talks About Convention.
fAyORS SEN. HANNA'S PROPOSITION
Predicts That the End of the Great
Labor Troubles in America Will
Come in Short Time-Reception
of RooseveIt's Message.

of RooseveIt's Message.
In an interview with Joseph F.
Byrne, secretary of the Ottumwa
Trades and Labor assembly. who has
recently returned from the annual
convention of the American Fedora
ton of Labor, held at Scranton, Pa,
/! q Courier reporter asked Mr.. Byrne
for his opinion regarding the PROPOSE
ton made by Senator Marcus Hanna
and others for peace in the great in
dustrial affairs of America. Mr.. Byrne
said:
A Change of Opinion.
81 went to the convention somewhat
prejudiced against the controlling
money power of this country. l mean
those who are at the head of the
great industrial concerns of the Uni
ted States. But l found after arriv-
| ing at Scranton that men who have in
vested vast amounts of money in our
great industries were as ready to deal
with labor upon conciliatory policies
as labor was to meet them. And al
though many men who We're not on
the scene of battle and had not the
opportunity to make the thorough in
vestigation of the plans for making
| friendship between capital and labor
may have other views than mine, | am
ready to say that l believe the propo-
stion of Senator Hanna is good and
honest one in all it's intents and its
arbitration features have already been
accepted, according to the Associated
Press dispatches. by the officers and
committee appointed by the American
Federation of Labor to attend the
meeting of the Civic Federation at
New York.
Hanna and Labor.
4 81 want to say that | have discov-
cred that Senator Hanna has long
been friend of organized labor and
believes in it, that he had befriended
the miners previous to the great an
thracite strike and that he was the
first to recognize the Sailors and
'Longshoresmen's union OF America,
and thereby was the means of making
them as powerful as they are today in
The affairs of organized labor. He
even differs with Schwab, the presi.
dent of the steel trust, in his opposi-
ton to organized labor, and, altogeth-
err from my experience l have found
that he is opposite that which he has
been represented to be, and is a
clear-headed, level-headed business
man with a conscience l believe he
is a friend to every laboring man in
, the country.
: ANY declaration coming authorize.
: lively from Senator Hanna can be re-
; lied upon. and | believe the beginning
; of the end of the great strife between
!. labor and capital has come. Mr. Han
ma can truthfully say that he will be
p q greater man than the President OF
: the United States, or twenty Presi
r dents, if he brings about peace be
tween capital and labor
The reporter asked Mr.. Byrne fol
his reasons for making these asser
e tons, and received the following re
e ply:
i Why? Peace will be made be
> tween the two great interests-the
! gigantic trust and the gigantic labor
, organization, each recognizing the 9th
,er's rights, the labor organizations
: will admit the right for talent ant
: brains to create wealth for themselves
and the combination of wealth. recog
/ niZing the American standard of liv
ing, will pay the standard uniol
wages under union rules as to hour,
and conditions, while the union will
recognize and not question the comb
nation Of wealth which expends it
= money in the upbuilding of America,
institutions This means that tn
a union label will be advanced, and tina
q at future and not uncertain date al
q the great volume of products in thi
:. country will bear the union label
j. Having been appointed an CON
Q mittee for the purpose of meeting
!. man representing the Civic Fedora
n ton, and, I presume, Senator Hanna
am free to state in all sincerity tina
h the day of the great strikes in Americ
n is over
e How about Roosevelt's message
1t that is. how was it received at Scral
r ton. was asked by the reporter.
le "At the announcement of the re
1t ceipt of the message of PresideI
T. Roosevelt before the convention, b
le motion that part of it referring to Ii
Dor was read and it met with such al
III prevail that it took at least five mil
,e utes for President Gompers to brin
,s the house to order, so prolonged wa
N the applause and enthusiasm
~ st will be noticed that he said thu
n. none but fair labor should be reco
n. nized. and far labor means union i
a Dor. The concensus of opinion of .
%, those in attendance at the conventio
of the American Federation of Labt
N was that President Roosevelt is tt
~ man Of the hour; that he is hone
=, and sincere in all his declaration:
no and being young. honest and vigorou
W will carry out to the fullest of h
= ability, every moral obligation whic
he assumes"
a. How. would you compare labor CO
ditions in east and in the west, jud
Use ing from your experiences at the co
ole vention and during your trip throus
ier the east, was the next question p
on. by the reporter Mr.. Byrne replied
III Il would say that visited Ne
,rh York, Boston. Philadelphia, Pittsbur
\ Buffalo, Montreal. Hamilton and D
nd
'on -
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