The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-11-18
SILVER Jubilee Of
LABOR At PITTSBURGH
American Federation of Labor
Convention is in Session in
the City Of its Birth.
President 'Gompers Reads
Interesting Report-0ld
Man Will be Reelected,

HALL WaS paCKeQ 'MO0Qay WQons
President Samuel Gompers called to
order the American Federation Of
Labor In its silver anniversary con-
vention. Delegates we're present
from every state In the Union, Can.
ada, England and other foreign coun-
tries. &#
President Gompers in his annual
address made an exhaustive argu-
ment for the eight hour law, and
recommended that it be made the
chief subject of discussion and action
by the Federation and affiliated un-.
ions. He protested against any mod
ification of the existing Chinese Ex-
clusion law, and against the intro
duct1on of Chinese into our insular
possessions or upon the Isthmus az
laborers on the Panama Canal.
Mr.. Gompers told Of his effort to
have Porto Ricans employed on tho
canal, and said he was advised by
Secretary Taft that an Investigation
had disclosed so many Porto Ricans
were afflicted with anemia of a con-
tag1Ous character that the govern
ment could not well run the risk of
employing them. In regard to the
relation Of labor to finance, he said:
ALREADY it is discerned that f.
nance has been largely dethroned
from its all-controlling power over
labor and industry. Up to decade
ago, If exposures had been made as
have been made in the recent past.
OF peculation as well as speculation,
and OF the corrupting influences of
high finance financial stagnation,
with all its attendant evils, would
undoubtedly have been inevitable. :
: THE time is happily passing when
purely speculative finance can hold,
the dominating power to endow or
undo industry. With more compact
organization of labor, with more en-
hghtened employers. finance is TAX
Ing and will take its proper place
and perform its proper functions,
that of serving the purpose OF real
industry and trade, of being real
measure Of value, a medium OF ex-
change. Thus the relative position
of Importance IL being tran1pqDed
s1nd-inAs1tsaas { = I1l -!
Ing to control and rsxu1ats IMAM ns6s 9
President Gompers accused tho
Western Federation Of Miners Of In
gratitude and hostility to the trades
unions that had filled it's Golfers dur-
ing the strike in Colorado, and de-
manded an accounting for the money.
contributed to the miners with the
understanding that 1t should be used
to test In the courts the legal and
constitutional questions involved In
this struggle. He said that the min
ers had perverted the funds to pur-
poses other than those for which
they were contributed.
Mr.. Gompers spoke for more than
two hours.
Reports occupied the time until
late in the evening. The real busi-
ness of the convention was put in
motion Tuesday.
President Gompers is expected to
have little or no opposition for re-
election.
OF the Union labor outlook Presi-
dent Gompers said: g.
"Never have the prospects for or
ganized labor been as good as the
present time, and consider this a
propitious moment for pushing for
ward the trades movement. I can
see a vast improvement in the con-
dition of the working class through
the inauguration of an eight hour:
day. We will continue to preach the
eight hour day and will see that it is
enforced wherever laws are enacted
to that effect" -