The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-17
FOREIGNERS
BROUGHT OVER
Coal Operators Charged With
Importing Labor.
Mr.. G0MPERS ON THE STAND
FACT ELECTED AT STRIKE COM
MISSION HEARING.
AR. G0MPERS ON THE STAND

I
standing the fact that the mine work
ers announced yesterday that they had
closed with the exception of calling one
more witness. the entire two sessions
of the strike commission today were
| consumed in hearing three witnesses
| for the men, They We're John c. Had
/ dock, an individual operator; Rev. DR.
Peter Roberts, who is assisting the
miners, and President Samuel Gompers
or the American Federation of Labor.
me principal point in Mr.. HaddOck's
testimony was that he favored giving
the mine workers concessions under
certain conditions. President GOmpers
testified as an expert on the trade union
movement. He created a stir when he
strongly implied during his examina-
ton that the coal companies are re-
sponslble for bringing immigrants to
the coal regions. When one of the law
yers for the coal companies asked him
il he knew il from personal knowledge.
ne said he could prove it if necessary.
The miners made another attempt
today to have the commission admit as
evidence a large mass of testimony
tending to show that the anthracite
cOal-carrying roads charge eXtortiOnate
and discriminating freight rates. and
that a monopoly existed in the anthra-
cite mining industry which keeps the
low level
Mr. Gompers' Testimony.
Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor. occu-
pied the witness stand throughout the
afternoon session. He began his testi-
mony by giving the history of the Fed
GRAFTON of Labor, and followed this with
a brief sketch of the progress and in
fiuence Of organized labor, which, he
said, has been very great. The hours
of labor Of the worknen generally
throughout the country, he continued,
have been materially reduced. Regard
ing trade agreements. Mr.. Gompers said
they have always been adVanta geOus
to both the workman and his employer.
Chairman Gray, who is taking an es-
pecial interest in boycOtts, asked MIR.
Gompers what he thought Of such
methods.
The witness said he would boycott
any person who is unfair to his work
men, but would not boycott a man who
chooses to do business with the person
that is boycotted.
The question OF the recognition of
unions was then taken up, and Mr..
mistake when they refused to recog-
nize organized labor. The employer, he
said. has no moral right to refuse to
confer with a committee Of his en-
ployes.
In reply to Bishop Spalding, Mr. !
GOmpers said he would not favor in !
cooperating a union.
& Question Answered.
Mr.. Gompers was then cross exam
ined by James Torrey, counsel for the |
Delaware & Hudson company. Mr.. |
TOrrey asked the witness if he did not |
believe that members of the United /
Mine Workers of America should be q /
years of age and able to read and write /
before they were admitted to member /
ship in the union.
To this the witness replied: yes; |
ten years from now, and when the COM |
panies stop bringing illiterate foreign !
ers to this country. They are brought |
here by the companies, and the labor /
union must protect them and see that !
they get their rights"
Mr.. Torrey asked him if he could 1
prove that the coal companies were /
guilty of such a thing, and the witness
replied that he felt certain it was true,
because he had seen copies of circulars J
which had been sent around in south
ern Europe asking people to come into
Pennsylvania, and stating that there
was plenty of money to be earned in
the mines.
Mr.. TOrrey asked him if steamship
companies were not the authors of |
NiAtoV vi NNirios ~ NAAANA MI NTViiADtiS
replied that he had seen ten, twenty
and thirty men huddled together in
huts in the anthracite coal fields, and
he noted that it was not long after they
arrived here that they were given en-
ployment in the mines. He offered to
give to the commission the name of
man who could give the facts to the
commission. He did not care to make
his name public.
The crosS-examination continued I'M
til 4:30 O'Clock. when the commission
adjourned until tomorrow morning