Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-11-19
THELAB0R CONVENTION,
Proceedings of the American Fedora.
ton at New Orleans.
WARM DEBATE ON PENSIONS
Heated Discussion Follows Presentn.
tiOn Of Report On Resolution UrK-
ing National PrOvisisn For
Aged Wage Farmers.

New Orleans, Nov. 19.--The com
| mittee on resolutions Of the American
| Federation Of Labor during the day re
| ported favorably on a resolution intro
| duced by the Coopers union asking
that the convention protest against Il
bill now pending in the United States
senate requiring the government tC
cease issuing revenue stamps on all
packages of malt or brewed liquors OF
the denomination of oneeiyhth. The
report was adopted
A resolution pledging the federation
to use every effort to defeat legisla
ton against railroad ticket brokers and
antiscalping bills was favorably re.
ported and adopted. A resolution
pledging the aid of the federation in
securing increased pay for letter car
riers was also recommended for pas
sage.
Delegate Mahon declared that as the
letter carriers had declined to affiliate
with the American Federation he
thought the matter should have con
sideration before passage. Delegate
Max Hayes. who introduced the resolu-
ton. declared the policy outlined by
Mr.. Mahon to be too narrow and that
the proper method was to encourage
other labor organizations. The resolu-
ticn was adopted unanimously.
Labor In Porto Rico.
A resolution requesting the fedora
ton TO seek the good offices of the
natiOnal administration in securing re
lief and protection for Labor organizers
in Porto Rico was favOrably reported
and carried unanimously.
A resolution introduced by Victor l..
Berger of Milwaukee instructing the
Federation of Labor to use it's best eff
forts, to induce the national congress
to pass a bill securing to every wage
worker who shall have rea ched the age
OF sixty years without having had an
average annual income of $1,000 Il
pension Of So per month, provided that
the wage worker is 4 citizen of the
United States and has resided in this
country for twenty-One years when the
application for pension is made. The
resolution was unfavorably reported.
Urgent Appeal by Berger.
Mr.: Berger made an urgent appeal
for the passage of the resolution. Del
egate Sherman of the United Metal
Workers also asked the passage of the
resolution. saying that the wage work
ers of the country had as much right to
q pension when they were worn out in
the harness as any man who was di-
rectly employed In its service.
When we ask the government for
anything" he said I'VE must remem-
Der we are asking ourselves for we
are the government"
Great applause greeted Mr.. Sher-
mans address at frequent intervals.
James H. Lennon opposed the resolu-
ton because of the increased taxation
it would bring and declared that the
wOrkingmen wanted no charity. Ii
they must have old age pensions, II
should come from the trades unions
and not from the government. Dele
gate Jones of the hatters' union fH-
vorsd the pa ssage Of the resolution, as
did several others.
Delegate Brewer denounced the re.
port of the committee as infamous
This brought Secretary Agard of the
committee on resolutions to his feet in
defense of the report. The debate was
temporarily closed by a point OF order
from Delegate Dennis Hayes. who re
minded the convention that the nrosop
tatfon Of the English fraternal dele
gates from England. Scotland and Can
ada had been made an especial order OF
business.
When the vote was finally taken, the
report Of the committee against the
resolution was adopted by vote OF
S6 to 90