The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-05
SAYS SHAFFER LIES
PLAIN STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT
GOMPERs, OF THE Fedora
TION OF LABOR
WANTED A GENERAL STRIKE
This Gompers Refused to Order In
the Face of Contracts of
Unions With Their
Employers.

WASHINGTON Oct. 4. = President
Gompers of the American Federation of
Labor. publishes in the October issue of
the Federationist, the official organ of
that body, vigorous and detailed state
ment in reply to charges made by Presi-
dent Shaffer of the Amalgamated As
scciation of Iron and Steel Workers, re-
6arding the attitude of Mr.. Gompers and
President Mitchell, of the United Mine
Workers of America, during the recent
steel strike.
Mr.. Gompers says:
Mr.. Shaffer says that he especially
relied upon the American Fedora tion of
Labor for financial assistance. I assert
that he never asked for any. No re-
bal, was received during the entire strike
at the Office of the American Fedora
ton of Labor from Mr.. Shaffer or from
any other representative of the Anal
gtInated association asking for financial
assistance. Yet l venture to assert that
nearly every dollar of financial assist
ance received at the office of the Anal
gan:ated association came from unions
of Labor, and if the Federation, as such,
did not give cent it was because it
was neither directly nor indirectly asked
to do So.''
Regarding Mr. shaffer's statement that
ne arranged a meeting between J. Pier
pont Morgan and Mr.. Gompers, for
which he alleges Mr. Morgan gave up
his vacation, but Mr.. Gompers failed
to appear, Mr.. Gompers says:
ABSOLUTELY FALSE.
Mr.. Shaffer says that which is abso-
lutely untrue, and he knows it,
correspondence from Mr. Shaffer urg-
ing MT. Gompers and Secretary Morri-
son to come Immediately to Pittsburg is
published, and after detailing several in
IerVleWs with Mr. Shaffer and others
Mr.. Gompers says:
1t will thus be seen that Mr.. Steven
son, an employer of union labor friendly
10 the Amalgamated, was to meet Mr..
Morgan at the very time when Mr.. Eas-
ley of the Civic federation, not Mr..
Shaffer, had arranged for me to meet
Mr.. Morgan
M Gompers says that he explained
TO Mr.. Shaffer that it was inadvisabIe
to have too many irons IN the fire at
the same time, and that Mr.. Shaffer
agreed with him as to the substitution
OF MT. Stevenson for himself (Gompers)
at this proposed conference ssall of ne
beng fully persuaded that Mr.. Steven
sen, being so highly recommended bv
MT. smarter and going with the PROPOSE
Iion Tor arbitration to Mr.. Morgan,
would be successful
The terms of the agreement secured bv
MI Shaffer Sept. IA, and those secured
by Messrs. Gompers, Mitchell and Others
Sept. 4, are printed in parallel columns,
The former enumerating the Canal Do
yer and Demmler mills among those NOT
lncluded as union mills and the latter
providing for them as union mills.
MI Gompers says that it is unWise for
MEN at the head of organizations TO de-
clare for policies which the rank and
lile viii not approve and that if such
common sense is ignored the men will
Desert their leader.
Mr.: Gompers says that what Mr.. Shat
Ter wanted him to do was to have a gen
eraI union strike in aid of the steel
STRIKE str This, Mr.. Gompers says, he could
Gcmpers, that the executive Officers If
the trade unions of America ought not
and would not violate or break their CON
tracts or agreements with their employ-
ers throughout the country. Hence thee
would not and ought not to be a wide
spread sympathetic strike.''
noncompliance with the request, it is
ta af is the basis of the bitter at
lacks by Mr. Shaffer Mr.. Gompers saws
Mr.; Mitchell denied to him that he ever
mad promised to call out the miners