The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-08-20
THE DOOR OF THE SHOP
DEBATE AS TO WHETHER TT
 SHOULD BE CLOSED.
Samuel Gompers Will Advocate Ex- clusfon of. All But Union Men, While Davenport Win Speak
 for Open Door.
Advertiser Building.
 Colorado Building,

Probably the most important debate on labor subjects that will be had during the present Presidential cam paisn will be that between Samuel Gompers of this city. and Daniel Das venport. of Bridgeport, Conn.,, before the Washington County Agricultural Society at Fort Edward, New York. August 23rd and 24th. The subject of the debate will be the Closed shop which Is the uppermost topic in labor circles, and over which the long strug- gle between the manufacturers on the one hand and the labor unions on the other Is now approaching It's climax
 Messrs. Gompers and Davenport not only rank among the best speakers that could be put forth by their respective sides, but are most prominently identi- fled with the particular issue. Mir. Gompers, as head of the American Fed eration of Labor. necessarily stands as the embodiment of the principles of the closed shop" For years this, has been the great object of the labor unions consolidated to form the Amer ican Federation of Labor-to force all laboring men to join the unions by preventing their employment in shops where union labor is employed. The Federation has consistently and consistently maintained the attitude that a shop must be either union" or ''scab" and if union" 1t must DC "closed."
 How much MT. Gompers really be- lieves in the "clossd shop is a matter of doubt, for so shrewd and sagacious a man as he undoubtedly Is. can scarce ly fail to read the signs of the times which unmistakably point to the "open prAa fn case of the trouble at the Government Printing Office, spoke for the "open shop" in terms not to be misunder- stood. and the unanimity with which his utterances were approved through out the country, indicated the atti- tude of the mass of the people. What Is the right course for the Government should be- the proper one for private business interests, and 1t Is reasonable to presume that the public which en- dorsed the action of President Roose- that of private individuals who con. tend for the same principle.
 MT. Gompers. as the head of the American Federation of Labor, ~is bound to do his utmost to stem the tide in favor of the "open shop" and In the coming debate he will doubtless present all the arguments that his long experience. his great natural ability, his oratorical talents and the political acumen which made him head of the great labor organization. and which has maintained him in that position, will enable him to skillfully weave to- gether into a plausible defense of the attitude of union labor toward the closed shop"
 He will be well matched in MT. Da- venport. who Is the Executive Agent of the American Anti-Boycott Asso- citation. and recognized as the leading exponent of the employers side of the question. The Anti Boycott Associa- ton Is a secret organization of leading manufacturers and merchants with membership extending into almost every State. The boycott being rec ognized IS the most formidable weapon in the hands of the labor unions fin seeking to enforce the Closed shop" the Anti Boycott Association, as Its name indicates, was formed for the purpose of maintaining the principles of the "open shop" by everl legal means. For this purpose the Associa ton maintains a corps of attorneys who make a speciality of labor laws and Legislation and in pursuance of its ends the Association fought the anti" injunction bill to a finish at the last session of Congress. for 1t Is by means of injunctlons that 1t has defeated the unions whenever it has met them in the courts.
 Only a few days ago in the Kellogg Switchboard case fin Chicago. the Ap- pellate Court of Illinois unanimously upheld the action of the lower court. which decided in favor of the conten- tions of the Anti Boycott Association that the closed shop" was un Amer. can in principle. and that an agreement between employers and employees to that end was unconstitutional, and an attempt on the part of employees to coerce employers into making such an agreement was Conspiracy" within the meaning of the law. Should this opinion be sustained by the Supreme Court. the closed shop will be a thing of the past. which explains the great interest which the employers and em- pIoyes alike are taking in the subject and makes the debate between Messrs. Gompers and Davenport, the leaders of the opposing forces. one of unusual importance at this time.
 MT. Davenport is quite as clever talker as Mir. Gompers and the de bates between the two before the vari ous committees of Congress last win ter over the anti-inJunction and ma tional eight-hour bills. attracted much attention throughout the country. Since then Mir. Davenport has met d number of Socialist orators in different cities. who took exception to his charge that the labor unions were so . cialistic in their tendencies. but this is the first time he and Mir. Gompers have met In public debate