The San Francisco call., 1904-11-13

whole argument and weapon OF the
American Federation OF Labor is the
force OF its numbers and the justice
of its cause With the first II would
excite the respect OF capital. and with
the latter enlist the sympathy of the
fair-minded- II will have nothing 70
do with party politics. That is the rock
upon which many well intending move
ments split WOrkingmen will vote
for their friends in whatever party
they find them. but no mandate ever
has gone or ever will go forth from
the officers or leaders Of the movement
to vote for any candidate A great deal
has been made OF a recent utterance Of
President Gompers about the effective
use Of the barlOt. but IN most cases it
has been wholly misunderstood Union
labor fully recognizes the power and
effectiveness Of the ballot. but its use
is to be left TO the intelligence Of the
individual He can choose his friends.
he can enter politics as energeticaIly
as he pleases and urge what candidate
he sees ft, but as an organization the
American Federation OF Labor will
have none OF it No principle has been
more thoroughly threshed out and de-
termined than this one
What are the reforms that union
labor is addressing itself to in its ef-
fort to reach the good time coming.
and what means are being employed
In the first place it should be noted
we have come a long way already.
The hours Of labor have been reduced
from sunrise and sunset 10 ten and
then TO eight hours; Chinese fmmigra-
ton has been stopped, as also the i'm
pOrtation OF contract labor the sweat
shop has been eliminated in large
measure and wages have been ad-
vanced. That is worth while. We
have undertaken TO abolish child Ia
Dor and Will not cease until it is ac-
complished and the child sent TO
school We would make government
by Injunction impossible and rob a
Governor Of the right to deDOrt work
ingmen because he has the militia
with him. These are some OF the
things we are working to accomplish.
We wish to secure the initiative and
referendum and we are diligently at
work in every State to that end The
work is progressing excellenUy- The
initiative and referendum once Sc
cured it will form an effective means
toward other reforms.
About the means to be employed?
Simply demand and agitation We have
1000 district organizers subject 10 the
call OF the American Federation OF
Labor at all times and we
have thirty TO fifty paid or
ganizers in the field all the time
preaching the gospel OF uniOnism-
There on that big map on the wall you
will see their names. each on a little
slip fastened by a pin at the location
at which he is working These are
shifted as the men move and we can
thus survey the situation at a glance
Zach OF these workers has his timer
ary and is directed from this Office.
As he leaves each town 10 90 on 10 the
next he drops a card-a printed form he
fills out-and upon receipt Of it here
we move his pin 10 the new location
The organizer does not devote himself
to any one craft but undertakes 10
Organize the town before ne leaves
As a result Of this activity wonders
have been worked Many new crafts
have been recently and are being now
added to the great army OF uniOnism-
Among these are the teamsters. who
q few years ago numbered but a thou
sand or two but who now have $1,000
union men. The walters, which had bus
zoo seven years ago. now have over
10000. Miners, carpenters and paint
ers have made phenomenal advances
The miners now number 100000,
the largest union; carpenters
$4,000 and the painters 6O,-
600. These things account for the
great strides OF the American Fedora
ton OF Labor, which in the last five
years increased its membership 1880
OOO Nearly every craft is now repre-
sented in the federation
our organizers are working all
over the United States, and IN Porto
Rico and Hawaii.
The Jurisdiction OF the American
Federation Of Labor extends over
North America. including Canada
Canada is well organized. especially
Ontario, Quebec and the maritime
provinces. A union card is good any
where in these places Indeed. the
union card OF England is accepted
here England is very well uniOnized
and they have a congress there that
is organized on lines similar TO the
American Federation Two delegates
attend the annual convention OF the
American Federation OF Labor and
two delegates from the latter attend
their annual meeting Germany.
France, Austria and Russia are we'll
organized. but there is no central body
there They will be certain. however.
10 follow the example that they see
works to such advantage with Us. and
/ look to see an intercontinentaI or
ganizatiOn OF labor.
But cOnhning the question 70 the
United States see a time. as the re-
suit Of our agitation and persistent
effort, when no child shall be set 10
work, and children and youth shall go
to school until they are IS years OF
age; when every mans child shall
have the benefit of a hish-schOOI edu-
tiOns when men shall be so well paid
that they can afford TO marry and rear