Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-23
lH THE WHITE HOUSE LAWW|LL Be ENFORCED
Deliver Looks for Rate Bill Letter From President on
Passage Eight-Iour Statute
IN A WEEK OR TEN DAYS READ AT THE LABOR COUNCIL
Many Hope for Adjournment Executive Desires Notice
of Congress Violations
INVESTIGATING LYNCHING A LIST COMPLAINTS
is Being Made Ent Pot
of Facts
Executive DESIRES Notice of Specific
Violations.
A LIST OF THE COMPLAINTS
Routine Business Transacted at SEES
sion Today-WiIl Enter Politics
if Necessary

| ecutiye council of the American Federatiol
Of Labor this morning, at headquarters on
| U street was the reading of a letter dated
| yesterday. received from President Roose-
welt by General Secretary Frank Morrison
| Of the A. f. l.. The communication fo,-
| lows:
| AT our interview Yesterday / reauestea
| you to bring to my attention any specific
| cases of vfoiatfo of the eight hour law I
| would like you to call my attention as soon
| as possible to any of these complaints and
| shall at once forward them to Mr.. Nein
| OF the iapog bureau and direct him to In
Vestigate them and report direct to me
Furthermore, l shall hereafter direct all
| departments having control of work as to
| winch this law applies to notify the De-
pir.meht OF Commerce and Labor when the
| work is begun, and / shall notify the Secrn-
| tary of the Department of Commerce and
| Labor, whenever such notification reaches
! him, himself to notify the head of the labor
| bureau, whose business it VIII then be to
! take cognlzance of any complaint made as
| to violations of this law, to investigate the
| same and to report to me-
AS you know. not only sympathize with
you on the eight-hour law. but / intend as a
matter OF course to that that law is CT
| heientiy enforced. My belief is that you
| VIII find that with Commissioner NELL per-
/ sonally supervising the enforcement of the
law all just complaints will be met
| Made Part of Record.
The letter was made part of the records
of the council. The decision was also
reached to compile d list of the complaints
and submit them, suggested by the Presi-
| dent.
| communication was also read from John
| Fitzpatrick. the Federation OF Labor or
| ganlzer at Chicago requesting the councfI
| to send him a complete list of the lepisla
ton pending before Congress which affects
| the interest Of labor
). Lepper of baltimore, Md. representing
lne Amaigamated WoodWorkers' Interna-
l!on2i Union. requested the Endorsement of
tne ianei of that organization
| Robert Mckee of Peoria H., secretary of
| Tue national organization of steam engi-
neers, appealed for the reinstatement OF the
| representative of that union in the Central
/ LABOR mon of st. Louis, he having been
ieitIoHea because he held political office.
! Nilllam McSorely of the wood wire and
| metal fathers demanded the oustine from,
tne a. +. L. or a dual craft and the recog-
hltion or the association he represents.
! MT; ohlbiey OF this city requested, in view
OF the interest aroused among working
| people by the appeal made to Congress and
| the president that advantage be taken of
| II Tor pressing home the demand of the
| Federation of Labor for the initiatiye and
| referendum.
President Shea of the International
| Brotherhood of Transfers requested, mas
much as local of that organization at San
! francisco has seeded that insfstence be
| made that 1t return to the brotherhood and
/ resume it's duty Otherwise representation
De denled the offending local in the San
Apply for Charter.
The carpet mechanics, through Chas. A.
| Hutchins, J. B. Colpoise and H. Shearer,
applied for a charter for that craft as an
| international body
| John j. Casson of Cleveland, Ohio ap-
! peared before the council in behalf of the
pilntG' s,fptf
maintenance of its charter Other matters
| We're considered but no final decision
| reached.
While no official action has been taken by
| the council in reference to the recent visit
OF President Gompers and a representative
| delegation of labor leaders to the White
House and the Capitol, the matter has been
earnestly discussed in the council chamber
! winnie president Gompers declines to give
direct answer at this time to inquiries as to
/ whether the federation will enter the arena
OF politics, and thus seek redress of its
stated grievances, still it is apparent that
| strong measures are in tentative contem-
| plation. Mr.. Gompers' statement is regard
ed as significant that the concluding para
! graph In the memorial which we presented
| to the President the President Of the San
! ate ana the Speaker of the House Wednes-
| day, Will be followed to a logical concIu
| SION
| one thing Is certain a labor leader said
| 10 a star reporter this afternoon. I'VE have
made our last appeal to the President and
| congress IN the matters complained of
| our position has been stated very clearly
Ihere is no use OF further waste OF words
| FROM our point of view the next thing on
| the program will be action, and 1 believe
our proposed action will speak louder than
words
Will Enter Politics, if Necessary.
| The council yesterday afternoon discussed
| the replies of President Roosevelt and
Speaker Cannon to the bill of grievances
presented to them and to President Pro TEN
| Frye of the Senate yesterday regarding leg
! islation affecting labor interests. Mr. Com
pers said the concluding paragraph in the
| memorial meant exactly what it said That
| is. If Congress- fails to remedy the griev-
| ances. the organization will appeal direct
| to the people. In other words, he said, the
| Federation of Labor will enter the field OF
| politics and urge organized labor to elect
| men Of their own choosing. and thus have
| a personal voice in the government
| There will be further discussions of the
| situation by the members of the council,
| among whom the remarks of the President
| and Mr.. Cannon have made deep impress
| sion. Mr.. Gompers insists the council is
j in the right regarding the statements set
| forth In the bill of grievances; that it has
| abundant proof of the representations made
| and that the condition of affairs in the labor
world everywhere is the best proof OF Its
/ contentious
Proposition Rejected.
| The council last night made this announce
4 ment:
! "A representative of large land and mon
/ eyed interests appeared before the council
| with view to having the federation coop
! crate with ii in the management of the en-
/ terprse, it being both mechanical, distribu-
| tive and CONSTITUTIONAL. the entire matter to
| be conducted under union labor conditions
| The council decided that 1t did not under
| take to deal in any commercial or indus
| trial enterprise, and could not act in any
| matter affecting the interests OF labor other
/ than that as wage earners
/ Present Gompers was authorized to SO
| notify the representative of the concern
] Frank Feeney of the Elevator Construc-
/ tors International Union entered protest
| against the issuance OF a charter to the
| Steam Filters Association by reason of con-
| fiict of work between the members of the
two organizations. He and Mr. Cummings
of the steam filters were asked to confer
and to endeavor to arrive at an agreement
! and submit report.
] Frank McArdle, president of the Interna-
tfonal Brotherhood of Foundry Employees
requested the appointment OF special or
ganizer of the trade. and also closer aIli-
ance with the Iron Molders' Union of North