The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-11-21
COOLY CANAL LABOR ROUNDLY DENOUNCED Federation of Labor Also Op poses Naval ConScription' GOMPERS TAKES THE FLOOR
  Wages Battle Royal With Socialists Squad of the oreanlzaton-Asiatic Immigration Is Denounced.
 Favor Rigid Exclusion.
GOMPERS TAKES THE FLOOR

Minneapolis, Minn., November 20.-Sub- sedized shipping. which involves the en- listment of the seamen employed thereon as members of the naval reserves, was roundly denounced at todays session of l the twenty-sixth annual convention of the American Federation of Labor in Minne- | apolis.
 President Gompers touched extensively upon this subject in his annual report pointing out that, while purportlng sim ply to provide for the voluntary enroll ment of seamen serving on subsedized | ships the bill pending in Congress did,
 in fact, provide for the conscription of seamen so enrolled in time of war. The | committee on the presidents report, which reported today. reaffrmed this section of President Gompers' report with emphasis. Delegate Andrew F'uruseth, who read this portion of the committees report, con cluded by reading:
 We recommend that the American Fed eraton of Labor reiterate it's condemna- ton of this bill with it's unamerican pro- vision for conscription." The recommen. dation of the committee was adopted. This was the only spectacular feature of the long-expected report of the com mttee on the presidents report. Those portions of President Gompers' statement which referred to the late political actv- ities of the Federation, and which will un- doubtedy be made the center for discus sion, if not for attack, have not yet been reached.
 There is in the hands of the committee on resolutions resolution, No. 131 which has not yet been reported. It is one of the socialist" resolutions, introduced by Delegate Victor l.. Berger of Milwaukee, and as it's stands on the records of the convention, it promises trouble. It praises President Gompers' recent political action, but demands that the Federation go to lengths hardly contemplated by President Gompers at least so far as can be judged from his utterances during the present convention
 Political Unity on Class Lines.
 Its full significance is summed up in lns two following sentences:
 Resolved, That though labor, politics cannot be non partisan, and must always be partisan And it must always be par tisan to labor and; furthermore,
 "Be 1t resolved. That only by uniting nolitlcay on class lines in like manner ss we are now economically organized on class lines, can the American proletarial compel recognition of it's rights, and final iy secure the full product of labor 10 the workers
 The full significance of these resolutions is sweeping. They would commit the Federation to the socialist doctrine, that all the products of labor belong to the workers and would turn the Fedora ton and it's affiliated bodies into a labor par tv. This is far from being in accord with the policy laid down by President Gompers and the other leaders or the Federation.
 Battle Royal.
 President Gompers, who in evident eN- pectation of a debate, had resigned the chair to Vice President John Mitchell, inn mediately entered the arena and battle royal was waged between Delegate Comp CTS and the socialists squad. He took the stand that 1t was an affront to the whole labor movement: that it's custom Of move ment was based on false premises. He objected to the use Of the word 'CfaIls' and on his motion Trades was substi- tuted for it. Things were stirred for time by the report of the committee on organization recommending in amended forn, a resolution introduced by Grand Master Frank T. Hawley of the Switch mems Union of North America. As originally drawn the resolution charged explicitly that the Brotherhood of Railway trainmen had been trying by all means in it's power to annihilate the switchmens organization. When the re- port was read, cutting out all reference to the trainmen by name. Delegate flaw lev used forceful language, declaring In no uncertain terms that members of the trainmens union had taken the places of