Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-05-12
OFFICERS REPOR I
PRESENT ADDRESSES TO CON.
YENTIoN OF IOWA Fedora
TON OF LABOR.
OCCUPY THE FIRST DAYS SESSION
ottumwa Assembly Well Represented
On Various Convention Committees
Nearly 200 Assemble at MARSHALL
town.

-" various convention Committees
Nearly 200 Assemble at Marshall.
town.
Marshalltown. May IL. ESPECIALLY
Nearly 200 men and women, represent
ing almost every trade that is organic
ca, are IN the convention of the Iowa
state Federation of Labor in this city
tnls week. Every city of any appreci-
ape size is represented with one or
more residents. and the twelfth annual
convention of the state federation may
wen be characterized as one of the
most admirable gatherings of repre-
sentative laboring people brought to-
gether in the state.
The opening day of the convention,
yesterday. was given over largely to
getting acquainted. This years meet
ing is unique in that there are more
strange faces among the delegates
tnan for several years. The morning
session was taken up with the report
OF the credentials committee, where
the first yelled fight between the soci-
al1stic element and its opponents took
place. The case was a contest be-
tween f. II. Laurence of Sioux City
and John Dorr Of the same place, both
claiming a seat as delegate from the
Sioux City Trades assembly. Dorr
was appointed by the first regularly
elected delegate as an alternate but
In the meantime the credentials of the
original delegate, who, by the way was
4. J. Berman, a deposed policeman,
mad been revoked and Laurence had
been elected delegate in his stead The
credentials committee investigated the
rival claims and recommended the
seating of Dorr. This brought out a
storm OF objections and when a vote
was taken after long discussion Lau-
renee was seated as the delegate. Aft
erwards it developed that Laurence is
allied with the socialistic element of
the federation, but his victory cannot
be taken as significant of the complex
lon OF the delegates, as but few knew
the facts OF the case when they voted.
After the credentials committees
report had been dispensed with, Pres
ident Urick named his committees for
the convention. They are as follows
Committee on grievances - E. T.
Austin Marshalltown; (chairman.)
John OFT, Ottumwa; J. c. Byram, Des
Moines; George Ferguson, Bert Will
ley. Davenport; E. E. Currier, Cedar
Rapids; j. j. McCleary, Waterloo;
Committee on proposed legislation
-Theo Christensen. (chairman) Gin
ton; w. r. Holm, Fit. Dodge; George
j. Pickett, ottumwa; Robert Cowan,
Des Monies; J. p. Shank, Sioux City;
G.:P. Smith, Cedar Rapids; A. E. Muir
ply, Boone.
Committee on constitution and laws
IT. G. Stewart. Cedar Rapids, (chair-
man. ]. F. Ream. Beacon, T. H. Car
lin, Oskaloosa, @. H. Wheatley, Del
vein; ]. L. Smith, Council Bluffs; j.
F. Fitzgerald, Des Moines, Charles
Lfnquist, Sioux City.
Committee on resolutions -. J. o.
Staley, Des Moines, (chairman.)- J. J.
Angle, Muscatine; M. p Owens, Des
Moines; L. S. Crousay, Dubuque, j. F.
Lutz, Keokuk; ]. D. Reynolds, Mar
shalltown; L. P. Joyce, Des Moines.
Committee on the union label - w.
j. Russell, Burlington, (chairman.)
Miss Mary Doyle. Ottumwa; Miss Ed
ma Jackson, Ottumwa; Miss Maude
Carpenter, Oelwein; Miss Gertie Hart
Des Moines; M. G. Wolf, Marshall
town: E. e. Currier, Cedar Rapids;
Charles Bert. Keokuk; E. Kurrle, Bur
1ington.
Officers Make Reports.
President Urick then read his annu-
al address to the convention and print.
ed copies were distributed of the re-
ports of Secretary J. H. Streif, of Sioux
City, the executive committee, made
up of A. T.. Urick, Of Des Moines; D.
r. White, of Davenport; j. H. Streif,
Al. M. Warner, of Cedar Rapids; E. T.
Austin, of Marshalltown, and l.. M.
Jaeger, Of Burlington, and the legisla-
tive committee, which is composed Of
A. L. Urick, Robert Cowan and E. B.
Gardiner, all Of Des Moines.
Presidents Annual Address.
President Urick, in his annual adj
dress to the convention, made an ex-
haustive report of the transactions Of
the organization during the year. A
great deal Of the report is taken up
with matters of detail, the more i'm
portant parts being as follows:
Speaking to the officers and dele
gates of the twelfth annual convention
of the State Federation of Labor, Pres
ident A. l.. Urick said in part:
Fellow trades unionists: Another
year has passed into history, and like
its predecessors it has not been without
new developments in Industrial fields.
early in the fiscal year 1t became
only too evident that a reaction in
industrial activities was about to set
in. 1t also became apparent that the
policy heretofore pursued by employ
ers of labor to cut wages and lengthen
the number Of hours of the workday
as means to curtail expense regard
less of the fact that to do so cripples
the consuming power of the great
masses, and thereby makes necessary
still further curtailment, was again
to be pursued.
The Open Shop.
All movements of incorporate and
frenzied zeal in the past history of the
world have been carried on under the
cloak and pcetense of great righteous.
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