The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-20
Shafer Unable to Substnntfate His
Charges Against Gompers, and Lat
ter VIII BE Exonerated.
AUTONOMY OF TRADES UNIONS
DISCUSSED BY THE CONVENTION
MOST OF YESTERDAY.
Reported Utterances of Harvard's
President in Favor OF "scabs"
Denounced by Resolution.

NEW ORLEANS. Nov. 19.-The special
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 Labor,
will report tomorrow, probably in the att
ernoon. AS an investigation II will ter
inmate in the exoneration of President
Gompers. and as a sensation IL Will PROB
ably wind I'D in the wet frecracker class
Mr.. Shaffer has not only failed to SUBJ
stantiate his charges, but a member of the
committee is authority for the statement
that he has never made any to that body
at least. He has appeared before the COM
mittee and when he came away declared
he had presented his charges. The COM
mittec says he did not formulate them. In
the absence of direct accusations there can
be but one end to the investigation.
The convention to-day wrestled with the
subject of the autonomy of trades councils
and the matter was not exhausted when
the adjournment was taken at o'clock.
Floods of oratory were poured out, but
nothing was definitely settled. The chief
fight of the day came in the old struggle
between the United Brotherhood of Car
Association of Carpenters. The former or
ganization asked for the revocation of the
charter of the latter because of alleged
practices contrary to the interests of the
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 COM
mittee of eleven, five from each organiza-
| ton and an umpire to be mutually selected
| The committee is to meet before March 1,
| 1903 and endeavor to bring about an ANAL
gamation of the two organizations. No
| promise made, however, by either or
| ganiZation that the amalgamation would
| be made All hostilities are to cease pend
ing the meeting of the committee.
The faction in the convention which Is
| opposed to the reelection of President
Gompers has as yet been unable to nix
| upon a rival candidate. Vice President
| James Duncan has refused to commit him.
self in either direction, and James Lynch,
| of the Typographical Union, is now spoken
| of as q candidate. No selection has been
| made yet, however.
| resolution condemning the recent re-
4 ported utterances of President Eliot. of
Harvard College: y favor of ..sesb" work so
| committee and N scti' was Endorsed by
| the convention. The paragraph of the
resolution as originally introduced COM
| menced: Whereas. the head of the fore
| most American university. President
| Charles w. Eliot, of Harvard" etc.
| Secretary Agard, of the resolutions COM
ton to the word foremost" saying that
the committee had changed the word to
| prominent" the members of the reso.
| lutions committee did not believe that an
institution which would retain at it's head
| a man capable of such expressions as those
represented by President Eliot could by
any possibility. be the foremost" univer-
| sity 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."
Delegate Lighthall, of Chicago, declared
that President Harper, of Chicago Uni
| versity, and John d. Rockefeller, the
founder of the institution. were both op.
posed to the union movement and that
they were trying to secure control of the
public schools in that city, and that the
| laboring men were endeavoring to counter
act the movement by organizing the teach.
ers into unions. The resolutions as amend.
ed by the resolutions committee was passed
unanimously. No second was made to the
motion of Delegate Allen