The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-11-18

While the American Federation of
Labor has been in session a week, the
real business of the convention will
begin with to-morrow's meeting The
first week is generally taken up in
speechmaking and reports of officers.
The questions which must be settled
between national unions are greater in
number than ever before. These juris-
dictional questions should be settled by
the federation before it adjourns. 1t
has been too prone to straddle knotty
points, waiting for time to aid in their
determination. Much adverse comment
is heard in many parts of the country
because of this vacillating policy, and
lit does not strengthen the movement
to have large bodies OF trades union
lists wrangling, when with a firm. and
just hand the federation could prevent
much of the interunion strife. One
question which must be settled before
adjournment is that between the
plumbers and steamftters. At the last
convention the delegates did but half
their duty. 1t was decided to give a
charter to the steamfitters, but it
neglected to order the plumbers to
eliminate the name "steamfitters'' from
their charter Accordingly there has
been trouble in every city in the union
over this-the plumbers contending
that their charter gave them jurisdic
ton over the steamf1tters, and the
steamfitters throwing their charter
from the federation in the face of the
plumbers. No halfway measures should
be the policy of the convention this
year in this matter Make a decision
and see that it is lived up to. This
matter will be the most bitterly con-
tested upon the floor of the conven-
ton.
Then there is the fight between the
carpenters and woodworkers. Each of
these organizations wants the charter
of the other revoked. It is hoped that
this session Of the federation will go
down into history as one of deeds
The Switchmen's Union of America
and the Brotherhood of Railroad Train
men have a bone to pick, which the
convention should interest itself in and
come to some decision which would
keep these two organizations from
warning on each other.
The Transfers trouble is as wide as
the continent. The Brotherhood of
Transfers needs the firm hand of the
convention placed upon it and certain
factions should be made to subordinate
their personal grievances so that the
labor movement should not suffer. The
seceders. as such, of course, cannot be
recognized.
Then there are the perennial juris-
dictional dispute of the brewery work
men and the divergent views of the
longshoremen and the seamen to be ad-
justed.
1t is plain that if the disputes are
courageously and justly handled that
the delegates have their work cut out
for them this coming week.
It is the earnest hope of the mill
lions of wage-earners that are watch
ing the proceedings that all these en-
tanglements will be Strengthened out
The convention will be a sore disap-
pointment 10 the wage-earners of the
country If solutions of these and. other
questions of moment are not settled
the executive council-don't leave them
to future conventions-settle them now
and settle them right, and the twenty
sixth convention will go down into
history as of some value to the labor
movement.
Samuel Gompers does not seem to
have any opposition and the grand old
man will probably be returned to Of
fee. In fact, the only incumbent who
is talked about as having opposition is
Fourth Vice President Max Morris.
The election of officers does not take
place until the last day of the conven-
ton and it is possible that some COM
bination may be made against some of
the present officers.
The assessment for the eight hour
day will be resumed in this city be-
ginning tomorrow upon all members
of Typographical Union No. FL The
executive council of the international
suspended the assessment in this city
after the April disaster, but normal
conditions have now been resumed and
the printers of San Francisco will
henceforth bear their share of the
burden to bring about the shorter