The Bourbon news., 1904-11-25
TO i.soLIsH The MILITIA.
The A. F. of L. Overwhelmingly De-
feated Resolution to That Effect.

session of the American Federation Of
Labor was the most exciting held. Dur
Ing the heated debate which followed
the unexpected interjection of the ques-
tion of socialism before the delegates,
Samuel Gompers and John Mitchell
were charged with being traitors to the
cause of labor. These charges and the
bitter socialistic debate which followed
were caused by the introduction of a
resolution by Delegate Victor Berger,
of Milwaukee.
Max Hayes, who championed the
socialistic doctrine, in a speech so
aroused the galleries that they cheered
him for several minutes This caused
President Gompers to threaten to clear
the hall of all visitors if demonstra-
tlons of the kind were repeated. The
debate became warmer, and some of
the best speeches of the session were
made during its course Criminations
and recriminations flew thick and fast.
Feeling ran so high that John Mitchell
rose in the convention and stated that
unless Delegate Victor Berger, of Mil
waukee, was able to prove his state
ment that he (Mitchel) had been a
traitor to the workingmen, he must
stand before the eyes of all present a
convicted liar.
The trouble arose over printed slip
distributed to some delegates which
charged Mr. Gompers and Mr.. Mitchell
with dining with President Eliot, of
Harvard. The article in question said
the place at which the meal was eaten
was an unfair house, and that Presi-
dent Eliot was the man who called the
"scab'' a hero. 1t bore the heading,
Are They Traitors?'
The reply of President Gompers was
most bitter and impassioned, and the
feeling among the delegates was tense.
He admitted the attendance upon the
dinner, but denied every inference
drawn therefrom, and declared that as
long as he was connected with the
labor movement he would fight against
politics being mixed with unionism.
Mr.. Mitchell made a quiet address,
but was accorded the closest attention.
He was loudly applauded when he said
that he defied any man to point to any
act of his which might be interpreted
as agains the interests of the working
men,
San Francisco, Nov. 23.-Disputes
occupied most of the time of the dele
gates to the American Federation Of
Labor in Tuesdays session. There
was ripple of Mondays exciting pro-
ceedings when, upon the opening of
the session, two resolutions introduce
ed by Delegate Victor Berger, leader
of the socialists, were presented for
consideration. One of these provides
for the abolishment of the militia as
it now exists in the United States and
the substitution of the Swiss system.
The convention overwhelming de-
feated the measure.
The second socialist resolution ask
ed the federation to go on record as
being in favor of petitioning congress
to pass bill providing for an old age
pension for workingmen. This meas
ure was also defeated.
The convention accorded Delegate
Victor Berger the floor under sus-
pension of the rules that he might
make statement regarding the as
PERSONS cast by the contents of a
printed slip from his newspaper on
President Gompers and John Mitchell
Healing balm was poured on the
wounds when Mr.. Berger stated that
not only did he deny the authorship
of the slip declaring that Samuel Com
pers and John Mitchell had been trait
ors to the cause of labor, but that he
knew nothing of the charges and was
not in sympathy with the same and
Agretted the incident that caused the
ill-feeling of Monday.
John Mitchell thereupon rose and
asked to have stricken from the rec
ords the statements made by him to
the effect that unless Mr. Berger prov
ed his charges, he must stand before
the convention stamped as liar. The
convention gave it's unanimous con-
sent to this procedure, amid applause
and ended the bitter controversy.