The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-20

New Orleans. November 19-The spe- cial committee appointed to consider the charges made by President Shaffer of the Amalgamated Association Of Steel, Iron and Tin Workers against President Com pers of the American Federation of La- bor, will report tomorrow, probably in the afternoon. As an investigation it will terminate in the exoneration of President Gompers, and as a sensation it will probably wind up in the wet fire cracker class.
 MT. Shaffer has not only failed to sub stantiate his charges, but member of the committee is authority for the state- ment that he has never made any-to that body. at least He has appeared be- fore the committee and when he came away declared he had presented his charges. The committee says he did not formulate them. In the absence of direct accusation there can be but one end to the investigation.
 The convention today wrested with the subject of the autonomy of trades unions and the matter was not exhausted when the adjournment was taken at o'clock T EAOOoS OA OidlOI5 were pOuI6Q out put nothing was definitely settled.
 Chief Fight of the Day.
 The hief fight of the day came in the old struggle between the United Brother hood of Carpenters and Joiners and the Amalgamated Association of Carpenters. The former organization asked for the revocation ot the charter of the latter because of alleged practices contrary to the interests of trade union movement Its avowed object being to force the other organization into its own ranks After several hours Of debate the matter was referred to a commission of eleven, five from each organization and an umpire to be mutually selected. The commission is to meet on or before March 1, 1903 and endeavor to bring about an amalgamation of the two organizations. No promise was made, however, by either organiza- tion that the amalgamation would be made. All hcstilities are to cease pend- ing the meeting of the commission.
 The faction in the convention which is opposed to the reelection of President Gompers has as yet been unable to fix upon a rival candidate. Vice President James Duncan has refused to commit himself in either direction, and James Lynch of the Typographical union is now spoken of as a candidate. No selec- tion has been made as yet, however.
 President Eliot Denounced.
 A resolution condeming the recent re- ported utterance of President Eliot, of Harvard college, in favor of ''scab" workingmen was report ed upon favorably by the resolutions committee of the Fed eration of Labor today, and its action was endorsed by the convention. The
 
 ally introduced commenced: Whereas, the head of the foremost American uni versity President Charles w. Eliot of Harvard etc."
 Secretary Agard of the resolutions com mittee, called attention of the convention to the word foremost" saying that the committee had changed the word to prominent, as the members of the reso- lution committees did not believe that an institution which would retain at its head a man capable of such expressions as those reported of President Eliot could by any possibility be the foremost uni- versity of the country.
 Delegate Joseph B. Allen of Philadelphia desired that the wording be changed to the head of one of the degenerate uni versities."
 Organizing Teachers.
 Delegate Lighthall of Chicago declared that President Harper of Chicago uni- versity and John D. Rockefeller, founder of the institution, were both opposed to the union movement and that they were trying to secure control of the public schools in that city and that the labor ing men were endeavoring to counteract the movement by organizing the teachers into unions. The resolutions as amended by the resolutions committee was passed ,,o1xr Mo, 4ryoo mo fn the motion of Delegate Allen.
 The committee on resolutions reported this morning at the convention of the American Federation of Labor on the resolution that the Porto Rican laborers taken to Hawaii are all being ill-treated and should be returned by the United States government to Porto Rico. The committee recommended that the charges of ill-treatment be investigated. and If found to be correst a petition for the return of the men to Porto Rico be presented to the government.
 resolution to send a fraternal dele gate to Germany next year provoked a long discussion. It was finally termin- ated by the announcement of Vice-Pres- ident Duncan that there would be no trades union congress in Germany next year. The whole thing was laid on the table.
 McComas Bill Endorsed.
 The McComas bill now pending before the United States senate providing for pay for all overtime on govern ment works was endorsed by the com mittee and the recommendation was adopted by the convention.
 The executive council recommended that the application of the United Brother hood of Carpenters and Joiners for the revocation of the charter. of thea Amal,,