The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-11-20
SHAFFER is NOT
A LIVE FACTOR
Charges Against Gompers Will
Come to Nsught.
THEN COMES THE REACTION
ROUTINE PROCEEDINGS WERE
NOT OUT OF ORDINARY.

nj Ew. ORLEANS. Nov. 1s.-The spe-
cial committee appointed to con-
slider the charges made by Pres
Ident Shafer of the Association of
Iren. Steel and Tin Workers against
President Gompers of the American
Federation of Labor, will report to-
morrow. AS an investigation it will
terminate in the exoneration of Com
pers. and as a sensation it will prob
ably wind up in the wet firecracker
class. Mr. Shaffer has not only failed
TO substantiate his charges, but
member Of the committee is authority
Tor the statement that he has never
made any. to that body, at least. He
has appeared before the committee,
and when he came away he declared
he had presented his charges. The
committee says he did not formulate
them. In the absence of direct accusa-
ton there can be but one end to the
investigation.
The convention today wrestled with
the subject of the autonomy of trades
councils, and the matter was not ex-
hausted when the adjournment was
taken at o'clock. Floods of oratory
were poured out, but nothing was def
nitely settled.
The chief fight of the day came in
the old struggle between the United
Brotherhood of Carpenters and Join
ers and the Amalgamated Association
of Carpenters. The former organiza-
ton 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 organ
ization in its own ranks. After sew
eral hours of debate the matter was
referred to a committee of eleven, five
from each organization. and an umpire
to be mutually selected. The commits
sion is TO meet on or before March 1.
1903. and endeavOr to bring about an
amalgamation of the two organiza-
tions. All hostilities are to cease pend
ing the meeting of the commission.
Lynch Is Named.
The faction in the convention which
is opposed to the reelection of Presi-
dent Gompers has yet been unable TO
fix upon a rival candidate. Vice Pres
ident James Duncan has refused to
commit himself in either direction, and
James NJ. Lynch of the Typographical
union is now spoken of as a candidate.
The committee on resolutions report
ed this morning at the convention of
Federation of Labor on the resolution
that Porto Rican laOOrers taken into
be returned by the United States gov
eminent to Porto Rico. The commit
tee recommended that the charges of
ill treatment be investigated and if
found to be correct a petition for the
return of the men to Porto Rico be
presented to the government.
A resolution to send a fraternal del
egate TO Germany next year provoked
a long discussion. 1t was finally ter
minated by the announcement of Vice
President Duncan that there viii be no
trades. union congress in Germany
next year The whole thing was laid
on the table.
A resolution cOndemning the recent
reported utterances of President Eliot
of Harvard college in favor of "scab"
wOrkingmen, was reported upon favor
ably by the committee, and its action
was endorsed by the convention The
first paragraph of the resolution as
originally introduced, commenced:
Whereas. The head of the foremost
American university, President Charles
, w. Eliot of Harvard" etc. Secretary
Agard of the resolutions committee
called attention to the words 1.-The
foremost, saying that the committee
had changed the words to "a prom
inent as the members of the resolu-
ton committee did not believe that an
institution which would retain at its
head man capable of such express
bluhS dS InOSe reported 10 have been
uttered by President Eliot could. by
any possibility, be the foremost univer-
sity of the country.
Moderate Words.
Joseph p. Alien of Chicago desired
that the word be changed to the head
of one of the degenerate universities .
Delegate Lightnall of Chicago de-
clared that President Harper of Chi
rago university and John d. Rockefel-
Ter, the 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 labOring men were
endeavoring to counteract the move
ment by organizing the teachers into
unions The resolutions as amc<ded by
the resolutions committee were passed
unanimously. No second was made to
the motion of Delegate Allen.
The McComas bill. now pending be-
fore the United States senate. provid-
ing for increased pay for all overtime
on government works was endorsed by
the committee. and the recommends
ton was adopted by the convention.
The executive council recommended
that the application of the United
brotherhood of Carpenters and Joinerf
Tor the revocation of the charter nj
the Amalgamated Society of Carpen.
tiers be denied. as the charges had MOI
been substantiated.
A long debate followed, and was still
IN progress when the convention ad.
p Journed.