Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-10
n + s: );
SHOW
BORDEN'S
EAGLE BRAND
Condensed
Milk.
IN BEHALF OF LABOR
SAMUEL GoMPERS' POSITION DE-
FINED AT RECENT CONFERENCE.

4 There has been much favorable discussion
| in Washington labor circles concerning the
| stand taken In behalf of organized labor
| by President Samuel Gompers of the Amer
/ lean Federation of Labor on his recent visit
to New York city In participating In an ex-
| citing debate at the closing session of the
national immigration conference
\ Mr.. Gompers, who stoutly opposed any
resolution recommending congressional ac-
/ ton, tried to defeat a measure brought in
by the committee on resolutions. but yield
ed when, after bitter fight, the resolution
was modified. In doing this he saved the
convention the necessity of adjournlng
without having expressed itself on what
was agreed to be one of the most vital
| questions before It.
The resolution recommended that 'In the
words of the Presidents recent message,
our laws and treaties should be framed
/ not so as to put Chinese students busI-
! ness and professione! men of all kinds. not
only merchants, buc bankers doctors
manufacturers, professors preachers and
! the like in the excepted class, but to state
that we will admit ali Chinese except Chi
neSe OF the coolie, Chinese skilled or I'M
skilled laborers."
1t is said this measure had been threshed
out in committee for fourteen hours and
Gompers had expressed himself to the COM
mittee as strongly against any interference
! with the present exclusion laws. He did
not wish to risk any change in legislation.
Several members of the committee sided
| with Gompers and withdrew from its delib-
! erations.
When DR.. Shaw read the committee report
haIf dozen delegates jumped to their feet
Mir. Gompers, his face flushed arose from
his seat on the platform They all began
| speaking at once
Question! Question:" came from the
! four corners of the halTN
Mr.. Gompers was angry.
Anger Excited.
shouted. and 1 shall yield But bear in
mind that although you may adopt this
| resolution and stop my voice here you can
not shut out the right of expressing nv
views elsewhere"
The conference was in an uproar. While
some delegates shouted question: Others
insisted that Mr.. Gompers be heard In
the storm of voices some one managed to
make himself heard in a motion to give
Gompers the floor, The privilege was at
length granted and Mr. Gompers his voice
quiyering, said:
The American workman does not want
to keep the Chinese student or the Chi
nese traveller or the Chinese merchant
from coming into the United States but
experience has demonstrated that decen-
ton is practtced upon our government TO
eV~de the exclusion laws. 1t is all very
good for our reverentiaI and professional
Iriehds 70 stand upon this platform and
tell you that you want to throw your
gates wide open. The motive under IL ALI
IS to let down the bars to Chinese labor
me sugar planter of Hawaii, the ad-
Venturer In the Philippines, are all one
In trying to deceive the American neonia
into the belief that there is a dearth of
Workmen, and the only recourse is the
Chlnaman- As matter of fact there has
not been made honest attempt to
Americanize either the Philippines or
Hawaii"
Mr. Gompers was shaking with emotion
as he took his seat
Chinese Editor Responds.
vigorous reply was made TO President
Gompers by Ny Poon Choo, editor of a
Chinese paper in San Francisco. TT is
hatred, bigotry that is standing in the way
of the Chinaman.' he said. There never
need be fear of a Chinese invasion here, If
you don't want US. just let US know. We.
won't try to force ourselves on Won mn
derstand Mr.. Gompers Ia his early life fed
from the prosecutions heaped on his peonIe
in Russia. Now his fear has disappeare
ana he IS doing some prosecuting on his own
hook Let me tell you that if you try TO
humiliate us in this way we will never
allow It to stand"
Terrence V. Powderly, former head of
the knights of Labor, sided with Gompers
and characterized the Chinese as heina lin
ferior in every way to the American peo-
pie"
At length Delegate Cochran presented
this substitute resolution:
ResoiVed That our laws and treaties
should be so framed and administered as
20 carefully except Chinese students, bust
ness men and professional men of all
kinds, not only merchants but bankers
doctors, manufacturers, professors and
clusion law
Mr.. Gompers accepted this and an out
burst of applause came from the delegates
only one delegate voted against it,