The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-07-11
HOPES TO CHECK DERs AND
MCDONALD.
The RIVAL LABOR UNIONS
Many Members of Western organiza-
ton Ready to Repudiate Action
Of Delegates at Denver.

Butte, July 9.-Samuel Gompers of
the American Federation of Labor has
not lost all hope of keeping Montana
from the American Labor union. Right
in the middle of the Debs and Nc
Grady pyrotechnics, with Dan Nc
Donald and all his arch-enemies
around him, he has decided to invade
Butte and make a fight for the SUI
premacy of the Federation.
Thomas l. Kidd Of Chicago, vice
PRECEDENT of the Federation, and John
B. Lemon Of Bloomington, ILL.,, it's
treasurer, have made arrangements to
talk to a mass meeting in this city at
Miners Union hall Sunday evening.
R. E. Mclean, general organizer for
the organization. has arrived in the
city and secured permission of the
Trades and Labor assembly to have
the speakers appear under its aus
pices. The Butte Miners union has
permitted the s of Miners Union
hall for the evening.
There is much conjecture in labor
circles as to the purpose and result of
the campaign of the Federation. It
is we'll known that Gompers and
Debs are fighting with all their ener-
gies to secure control of the national
organization.
At the Denver convention when it
became known that the Western La
Dor union was contemplating extend
ing it's scope and becoming national
in it's authority, a committee was sent
out from headquarters Of the Fedora
ton to head off the movement.
Eloquence of the most convincing
type was brought to bear on the mem
bers of the convention both against
the extension of authority and the
socialistic tail which Eugene Debs
and others were at that time endeav-
oring to pin on the new labor union
kite. .
What success the committee had
has now passed into history. The
union became a national one; the
delegates committed the organization
to socialism-whether the action will
meet with the Endorsement of the
members themselves remains to- be
seen-and Gompers was for the once
defeated.
Since that time, however, the FEEDER
alton has been carrying or an active
campaign. The fact that several un-
ios-national or international in their
scope-such as the Typographical un-
ion, the Iron Molders' union, the Cigar
Makers union, and the Machinists'
union, are affiliated with the Fedora
ton, gives that body a prestige and
a firm foothold in many of the cities
in which the campaigns are now in
progress. =
Debs, supposedly advocating social
ism, is feeding fat his ancient grudge
against Gompers and supporting the
new union. Gompers on the other
hand is finding the support of many
of the conservative bodies which re-
fuse to be committed to any political
faith, who are fighting for trades un-
ionism and maintaining their preroga-
tives to be free lances in matters
concerning national and state gov
eminent.
What chiefly exercises President
Dan Mcdonald now is the success of
the Federation in Montana. Will they
split the state as they have succeed
ed in doing down in Colorado, or will
they find that the new union, ire
spective Of the political belief of it's
membership, will elect to retain the
power it has SO easily acquired and
aim to become the national labor I'M
ion of America?
In an interview today Mr.. Mcdonald
said: I'VE are not afraid of them;
Gompers can't hurt us here; they re-
sent u progress and the fact that
SO much revenue is diverted from
their Golfers, but their resentment will
not cut much figure here
On the other hand there are many
that maintain that the Federation has
hosts Of friends in Montana, that
many of the members of the unions
resent the action of their delegates
in committing them to socialism at the
Denver convention, asserting that
such action was without the author
ity of the local body and that the
question should first have been sub
mitted to the local branches regard
ing their action at the annual con-
vention.
R. E. Mclean, national organizer
for the Federation, is avowed to have
l-l. ~ - lsl ~ So 49, -nN