The Topeka state journal., 1902-11-19
SALARIES RAISED.
More Pay for President and Sec
retary of American Federation.

New Orleans, Nov. 19--The salary OF
the president of the American Fedora
ton of Labor has been Increased from
50, 100 per annum to $4,000, and the sal
airy of the secretary from $500 to 81
500
The increases were voted after long
debate in which fully 80 delegates par
ticipated. The original resolution pre-
sented by Delegate Berger of Milwau-
kee, provided that they should be 81, 00t
and $2,4O0 respectively. The COMMITTEES
to which the matter was referred re-
ported in favor of increasing the salary
of the president to 2,400 and that OF
the secretary to $2,100 but the report OF
the committee was voted down and the
salaries were increased to the amounts
stated.
A feature of the debate was the at
tempt of the socialists in the convention
to fix the presidents salary at $4,000,
! though they subsequently, on motion OF
Max Hayes of Cleveland, presented the
resolution which fixed the salary at 49,,
coo.
Delegate Berger, speaking in behalf
of the sOcialistic element, which is OPP
posed to the policy of the present ad-
mlnistration Of the organization. al
though 1t has no particular objection tc
either President Gompers or Secretary
Morrison as individuals, urged the reso-
futlon for $4,000 salary, saying:
This Is not personal measure L say
frankly that if the socialists had the
power in this convention they would turn
out Gompers. Morrison and the entire ex-
ecutive board and elect socialists. in order
! to carry out a socialistic policy in the
American Federation of Labor. But the
socialists are fair, and they believe that
| labor organizations should not exploit
their officers and employees. On the con-
trary, labor organizations ought to pay
the best of wages Our treasury permits
/ 1t. and our organization, comprising near
\ ly one and a half million workers, ought
/ to pay fair salary
A resolution condemning the recent
reported utterances of President EliO
of Harvard COLLEGE, in favor of "scab'
workingmen, was reported favOra bly, b3
the committee and its action was en-
dorsed by the convention.
| The first paragraph of the resolution
as originally introduced commenced
Whereas, the head of the foremos
American university President Chas
w Eliot of Harvard. etc" Secretary
Agard of the resolutions committee call
ed attention of the convention to th'
word foremost" saying that the com
mittee had changed the word to prom
/ inent," as the members of the resolution
committee did not believe that any i'll
stitution which would retain at its heal
a man capable of such expressions a
those credited to President Eliot couit
bly, any possibility be the foremost un
iverSity of the country.
Delegate Joseph B. Allen of Philadel
phia, desired that the word be change,
to the head of one of the degenerat
universities
Delegate Lighthan of Chicago declar
ed that President Harper of Chicag
university and John D. Rockefeller. tn
founder of the university, were both op
posed to the union movement and tha
| they were trying to secure control o
the public schools in that city and tha
the laboring men were endeavoring t
counteract the movement by organizin
/ the teachers into unions. The resolu
ton, as amended by the resolution
second was made to the motion of Del
! egate Allen.