The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-12-13
EIGHr.HOUR BILL FIGHT.
FORMER SECRETARY OF NAVY
OPPOSES MEASURE.

Declares Members of Ecuse of Repre-
sentativss Fear 10 Oppose Any Labor
BirI-CharCes Made and Denied That
Union Men Interfered with Work ON
Gompers Recalls what
Agitation Has Done In Great Causes.
Washington, Dec. 12.-The senate
committee on education and labor list
ened to arguments for and against the
eight hour bill to-day.
Former Secretary of the Navy Her.
bert, opposing the bill, declared there
were few men in the house of represen-
tatives willing to take the responsibility
of opposing any labor measure, lest he
be set down as an enemy of the laboring
class. THAT explains why he said,
this bill and preceding bills like it,
even worse than it is. passed the house
by large majorities.
L. E. Payson, for the Newport News
Shipbuilding company, said that during
the strike at Newport News in 1901,
when the battleship Illinois was about
to leave on her trial trip, word had
gone forth from the labor union that
she should not leave the yard until the
unions terms We're complied with. He
vehemently exclaimed that it was an
act which, If the United States had
been at war, would have been treason
| Men have suffered loss of their lives
| for less acts of culpability," said he,
! taI i1as
pie in June year ago"
| James Duncan, national secretary of
| the Granite Cutters association denied
ex-Secretary Herberts assertion that
members OF the house would not op-
pose legislation in order not to appear
as enemies to labor. He also denied Mr..
Payson's statement.
| Samuel Gompers said he had been
classed as an agitator by the ''cyclonic
| and vehement Judge Payson," but it
was the agitator who made this coun-
try a republic, that abolished slavery
and that saved the children employed in
the cotton mills in the south.
Mr.. Gompers said he wanted to take
cognizance of a. statement made by Mr..
Null and Judge Payson alleging that
the International Union of Machinists
had attempted to precipitate a strike
in the Cramp shipyards during the
Spanish war while government war
ships were being fitted out and that
some of the labor men had attempted
to tamper with the machinery of q
TRANSPORT He vehemently denounced
the charge and said that Major Carson
of the Thomas had declared the state
ments without foundation and had said
that had such an attempt been made t.
tamper with the machinery of the shir
he (Carson) would have known.
''It is true" said Mr.. Gompers, "that
the strike in the Cramps shipyard de.
layed the departure of the Thomas fol
week or ten days, but as matter OF
fact 1t. was not during the Spanish
American war; but late in the veal
1899." EIe added that the chief merit il
the statement was that there was no
a scintilla os truth in it.
| Continuing with much fervor, Mr.
Gompers said: IF any man was guilty
# the act charged here yesterday 1t wa:
the duty of Mr.. Cramp as a. citizen o
our country to make a criminal charg'
against him, and to expose TO the WoIl'
what it implied. The charge has no
been outlawed by the statute of liTita
ton, and if the charge has no founda
ton in fact it simply reacts upon th
l. ads oe those who have made the &C
cusation."
He declared that if the bill shoult
fail to pass it would be back again il
the next congress. There is no end
ing in this demand" he said. until i
/ is accomplished"
James O'Connell, president of the In
ternational Association of Machinists
referred to the statement before tn
committee yesterday by j. H. Null, as
sistant manager at Cramps shipyarc
, Philadelphia, to the effect that mem
bers of the International Association G
: Machinists tried to destroy the machin
, ery of the battleship Alabama an
transport Thomas while they were TN
l. dergoing repairs in the Cramps yart
Mr.. O'Connell said that nothing of tn
, kind was ever brought to his attentio
/ and he did not believe that it ever oc
= Cured.
r