Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-01
N LABOR CIRCLES

can Federation Of Labor IL one OF the busa-
est men In washington just now. Tne
secretary OF the federation, Frank Mofr1-
son, is equally as busy. and the headQuar-
tiers Of the great labor organization In the
Typographical Temple. 42B @ street north
west, Ii a veritable beehive OF hustle and
industry. This activity Il duo to prepara-
tons that are being made for the FORTH
coming annual convention Of the fedora
ton, to be held at Pittsburg. Pa. begin
Eing November 13.
President Gompers is working on his an
nual address or message to the millions
Of toilers that are afiHated with the a.
+. L., and his friends say that in the mes
sage he will "say things" 1t Is understood
he will refer to the great awakening IN
Russia, which country has taken stride
toward freedom from autocracy, and make
the claim that the results so far attained
in the land Of the car and others of I'm
equally benefcent nature that are to foi-
low were brought about by the labor agi-
tations persistently carried on in that coun-
try, despite the shooting down of men.
women and children and notwithstanding
the brutality Of the charging Cossacks and
the stern edicts Of royalty:
It is also said Mr.. Gompers will handle
with boxing gloves, and not soft ones.
either, the charges against the federation
that have been circulated industriously by
those who are recruiting for the rival BODY
the Industrial Workers of the World. Mr..
Gompers' report WILL it is said. be an able
paper, and will make some revelations OF
interest alike to the busy workers Of me
labor unions and the citizens who are not
affiliated with those societies.
Interest also attaches to the fact that the
convention Of the A. F. L., SO near at hand,
will be the silver jubilee convention, the
federation having been formed at Pitts
burg. Pa, twenty-five years ago. 1t began
vii I,cr in h,lt iS
said to@nun1ber 100000 wage earners in
every section of the United States and
Canada.
In advance of the convention the organ
izing bureau Of the American Federation
Of Labor has been busy sending union lit
erature to all parts Of the country. One
of the communications which has been pro-
mufgated broadcast is as follows:
THE American Federation of Labor does
what all declarations of labor unions do,
attempts 70 give solidarity to the labor
movement by getting the various sections
of the labor army into touch with each
other. 1t refuses to admit that occupation
can be a barrier to the community of in
terest running through the wage-earning
masses From its inception it has taken
the stand that while unions of miners. sail
ors, shoemakers, cigarmakers and printers
must each and all be left entirely free to
govern themselves within their own bor-
ders, yet, that between the members of all
these unions there should be bond as
great as that between the members of the
same union. The great aim and object of
the federation is to strengthen that bond,
and Its method is, by organization, educa-
ton and incubation, to place the labor
movement upon higher and more effec-
tive plane. The strength of a chain Is in
its weakest link, and the federation there
ipre, endeavors to organize all labor. rec
ogniZng that while many non-unionists
may be sympathetic with unionism yet that
the unorganized are far more exposed to
the pressure of unjust conditions than are
the organized, and being thus necessarily
weaker in maintaining wages, keeping down
hours and resisting other encroachments,
are the source of constant danger to the
organized as well as to themselves And
there Is this that the American Federation
of Labor has already done: 1t has largely
swept away the old and foolish jealousy
that existed between the skilled and unskill-
ed workmen; it has taught the great lesson
that man is man, no matter whether
he sets type or scales the ladder whether
he sews the garment together or sells it
behind the counter. whether he makes the
machine that spins the cotton or gathers
the cotton In the field Whatever a man
may be, so long as he works honestly and
seeks to wrong no other man. or to adj
vantage himself at the cost of another, he
is a man. The federation maintains this
and seeks to swing all into line regardless
of how they may happen to be employed
The federation is opposed to strikes, as
are adj peaceful institutions; but when
struck 1t will strike back as best 1t can.
moral and absolutely necessary when forced
by aggressive employers who would curtai
the liberties of a portion of the community
for the advancement of another, who refuse
fair and open conference and adopt arro-
gance and forceful measures. Though
strikes do not always win, even those that
are lost at least induce the employers to
forbear in the future and teach them a
lesson they do not readily forget that labor
is the most important factor in production,
entitled to consultation on the wages hours
and conditions under which labor shall be
performed. Strikes pave the way to volun-
tary arbitration, but that such arbitrati ton
shall not be one-sided, labor must be pos
sessed Of determination, steadfastness bust
ness methods and perfected organization,
the highest form of which is had in fed
GRAFTON.
D. F. Manning has been certified as dele
gate from the Retail Clerks Union, 262, to
the Central Labor Union of this city. vice
Joseph Bradley, resigned.
The decisive vote by which the members
Of Columbia Typographical Union declared
by ballot on Monday in favor of a fiat as
sessment of 80 cents a week for each mem
Der, for the defense fund In the aggressive
eight-hour movement, now on, shows how
earnestly the printers have entered into
that fight. The axiom of their patron saint
Ben Franklin, Eight hours for work, eight
hours for rest and eight hours for recrea-
ton will become a fact in this country
If push and perseverance can accomplish
that end, say those who are watching the
contest. Out of a total of 1,531 votes cast
by Washington printers Monday on the 90
cent assessment proposition, there were
but $50 negative votes. This increased as
sessment takes the place of that previously
in force of one-half of one per cent.
Referring to the elght-hour movement
now being vigorously waged by the Inter-
national Typographical Union, the Trades
Unionist says:
1.-THE International Typographical Union
is engaged in war which means the very
life of the book and job branch of the In
ternational Union, and organized labor
throughout the country is watching the re-
suit of this struggle. The printers cannot
afford to lose, for If they do the open shop
which means the death of all unions
will be firmly established. No doubt many
men who walked out of the shops when or
dered to do so may have voted against the
inauguration of the eight-hour day just at
this time; preferring to wait, but when
they were called upon to obey the viii of
the majority they cheerfully did so. They
are now out, and it is the moral duty of
the majority, at least, who voted them out
to see that they are properly taken care of.
Anything less the part of the member
ship of the International Typographical
Union will be an everlasting disgrace"
so