The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-06-19
UNION LABOR MEN
GEORGIA FEDERATION IN ANNUAL
SESSION IN SAVANNAH.
WELCOMED TO THE CITY.
ADDRESSES MADE by MAYOR MY
ERS AND MIR. j. P. WILLIAMS.

the Child Labor Bill, While Mr..
williams Advocates Compulsory
Arbitration as a Means of the Set
Element of Strikes-AbIe and Com
servative Report of President
william G. Gredig-The Cause of
Labor Injured by Confidence in
False PrOphets-COmmittee Mann
ed to which Resolutions viii BE
Referred-The Social Features.
The fourth annual convention of the
Georgia Federation of Labor began
tives of union labor, in eloquent ad-
dresses from men representing the Off
cial and business life of the city, were
made heartily welcome to Savannah.
The delegates present in Savannah
represent almost every organized craft
and calling, and their manner and ap-
| pearance, with the earnest, and con-
sentative style of their discussion of
questions of interest to their movement,
indicate that they represent these call
ings ably and well.
The convention was called to order
by Mr.. w. S. Harris, president of the
Savannah Trades and Labor Assembly.
The invocation was delivered by Mr..
w. H. Young, after which addresses
| of welcome were made by Mayor Her
man Myers, President J. P. Williams,
of the Savannah Cotton Exchange,
President D. G. Purse, of the Savan-
| nah Board of Trade, and Rev. ]. A.
| Smith. pastor of Epworth Methodist
| Church. There was a brief and happy
| Gyo6ior ho
as he finished speaking assumed the
| chair. There was to have been in adj
| dition an address from President Leo
| pold Adler of the Retail Merchants
| Association, but Mr. Adler was pre-
vented by business engagements from
being present, and sent his regrets and
good wishes instead.
Mayor Myers Address.
The address of welcome delivered on
behalf of the city government by May
or Myers was a peculiarly graceful and
effective effort. The Mayor, in the in
| ception of his remarks, reviewed briefly
the kindly relations that have always
| existed between capital and labor in
| this city. For a century and a half"
! he said, Tabor and capital here have
| marched on, hand in hand, with less
friction and disagreement than proba-
bly, in any other city of the land"
| lie mayor fl1Snly commenced the
| proposed child labor bill, which is to
be introduced at the next session of
the general assembly. No effort should
be spared. said the Mayor to secure
the enactment of this legislation. May
! or Myers continued:
I'm addition to this, Georgia, be-
ieve, should adopt a different method
of use for its convicts. I do not be-
| lieve that convicts should be leased out
| to SaW-nin n
tors, and to coal miners. Georgia has
| better use for them, it has a service
they can render where the people will
get the benefit an dnot a few individ-
uals. No more convict leases!' should
be the or yof organized labor in Geor-
| gia. The convicts, when the present
leases expire, should be utilized in the
retaining of waste lands and in the
| upbuildfng of good roads. A system
of roads should be planned and their
| construction should be done by con-
victs. Georgia needs good roads. Moth
ing would do more to build up the
agricultural interest than good roads
| The best interests of all the people
would be thus served.
| THE people of Savannah unite with
me in the hope that your visit here
will be both pleasant and profitable;
that your deliberations will be pro-
ductive of good and that the hours
| yOO may OS SudDleQ 10 give TO social
recreation will be so full of joy that
Savannah will be honored by your
presence again in coming years"
For Compulsory Arbitration.
The leading feature of the address of
| Mr.. J. F. Williams was his earnest ad-
vocacy of the principle of compulsory
arbitration in the settlement of disputes
| between capital and labor
Mr.. Williams began his remarks with
a frank recognition of the fact that la
Dor organizations are the logical re-
suits of the consolidation of capital.
| AS long as capital is organized as long
as scattered industries are merged into
one, as long as these are in many in
stances controlled by astute and I'M
scrupulous men, just so long will it be
necessary for labor to organize to pro-
tect and advance it's own interests and
its own welfare.
Mr.. Williams alluded to the fact that
as consequence of strikes there often
resulted great losses to both capital
and labor and said that in very many
cases the suffering and loss were not
confined to those primarily at interest.
He continued:
This should not be. If the parties at
interest would leave their differences
to the tribunal of upright, intelligent,
disinterested men, and bind themselves
to abide by the decision of the arbiters,
in cases of dispute, this would work
out an easy solution of the difficult
ties.
Il have thought that every state in
this Union should embody in it's stat
utes a provision that wherever disputes
arise as between the employer and en-
ployed, they should be left to arbitra-
ton, and that the decision of the arbi-
tiers should be final and binding
The L1s,0rer Il, Politics
The relation of the laboring classes
to politics and government also re-
ceived attention at the hands Of Mr.
| Williams. He said that under the form
| of government prevailing in this coun-
try there could be no reasonable limit
to any mans rightful ambition; his
right to rise was limited only by his OPP
portunities and his capacity. Speaking
along this line Mr. Williams concluded
his remarks as follows:
The laboring classes constitute not
less than rs per cent. of our popula-
ton; they are, therefore, as a class,
more vitality interested in good gov
eminent. in a government which will
insure them their rights than is any
other class of our citizens: and, as you
are In the majority. ii behooves you
to see to IL that none but pure men are
permitted to represent you in civic
councils. Beware of political trick
sters, of men who will make to you all
/ Of -