Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-26
IN LABOR CIRCLES
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Some of the local labor leaders are said
| to be wrought up over an attack Rep
| resentative Sidney Mudd Is reported to have
| made on President Samuel Gompers re-
Gently while at the Navy Department. The
| leaders here have procured copies of the
statements that are said to have been made
| by Mr.. Mudd in his TRADE against the head OF
the American Federation of Labor, and
some of them promise to reply to the utter
ances of the Maryland member.
| 1t is stated that Mr.. Mudd called on the
Secretary of the Navy to urge the adop-
| ton of his recommendations for an increase
| in the scale Of wages at Indian Heed, on
| the Potomac, and at the Naval Academy al
Annapolis Referring to what he termed
'the GomperiteS," the representative Is le'
ported to have said:
GAS a matter of fact. these fellows of the
Gompers lk have no influe ice whatever In
1 these matters. The departments, as we'll as
Congressmen regard them generally as an
unmitigated nuisance of more or less ash
nine characteristics; but they are quite vo.
ciferous in proclaiming their trophies and
triumphs after some one else has accom-
pliShed whatever Is done.
1T reminds me of the time that the sub
rosa side partner Of the leading anarchists.
dead or alive. in this country, the aforesaid
Samuel Gompers, claimed in his literary
pie had succeeded in getting leave OF alb
sence of fifteen days for all the per niem
employees of the navy yards OF the country,
when the fact was that myself had cha~g e
of the bill which accomplished this and put
it through Congress, and that never heard
word about 1t from GOmpers, never had
seen him. and II 1 had seen him the only
effect 1t would have had If any, would have
been a deterrent upon my action-When, as
a matter of fact, there IS evidence to the
effect that he did not favor the pushing Of
that measure before Congress.
Il make particular mention OF these facts
because 1t is well known that at that time
last fall when l was vigorously urging the
very action that has been taken in reference
to Indian Head. and which, l have reason
to say, will be taken at Annapolis. this con-
frere of Ananias, yclept Gompers, was In
Annapolis and Baltimore city stoutly assert
ing not only that had done nothing in the
way of getting appropriations for the en-
ployment of labor at Annapolis, but that
was unfriendIy and hostile to the movement
of the mechanics there for the establishment
of a fairer scale of wages than they were
then getting.
II call attention to it further, with some
degree of particularly, because we will
likely hear of Gompers and his factotum
fellow Hirsch, over in Baltimore city at the
approaching municipal campaign, as well as
in the state campaign this coming fall; and
l intend to nail down the evidences of their
unreliability In the past and give notice of
the fabricatng manifestations of this pie
bald pair in the future wherever they show
their heads under the false pretense and
stolen livery of loyal representatives of the
interests of laboring men,"
After nearly six months of industrial con-
fiict. the strike of the Amalgamated Asso-
citation of Iron. Steel and Tin Workers In
the eastern jurisdiction of the organization
is a thing of the past. With the settlement
effected during the week at New Haven, the
last mill was won. Commenting thereon,
the current issue of the Amalgamated Jour
nal says:
The strike in the east is no more The
last post of the manufacturers opposition
has capitulated. settlement has been
reached with the New Haven firm. Our
eastern brethren will surely have a merry
Christmas and a happy New Year in the
consciousness of having fought good fight
and won a great victory. The national Of
ficers and their western brethren will re-
joice with them.
Vice President James b. Wincher, in
whose district the conflict was waged,
makes the victorious outcome of the strike
an object lesson to the ironwOrkers Of the
country to become thoroughly organized. He
says:
Had It not been for the mills that be-
longed to the Amalgamated Association the
workmen of this district would have been
so Overwhelmingly defeated that 1t would
have been impossible to have got men
enough together to dare ask their employers
for increase In wages.
But through the unionism manifested by
the men of our association and the men in
sympathy with us, who knew We were fight
ing their battle as well as own and our
victory would be their victory, we kept the
old Amalgamated Association ship a1oat
and have succeeded in bringing her safe to
port, not all SCARED and battered, some
hoped she would be after the hard fought
battle. She has fought and won. The men
manned her guns nobly, CALAMITY realizing
that they were fighting not only for dollars
I,t f<r ;,,et too nj low, rnnl
izing that if We were defeated we must
sign agreement in many places with the
company that we would not belong to a Ia
Dor organization if we wanted to work in
those places.
I'VE men In the east realize that we owe
a debt of gratitude to our western broth
ers, as well to the national officers, for
the gallant way in which they stood by us
In this our time of need. for If they had not
furnished the ammunition oCr guns would
have been useless"
Several of the labor unions of Chicago
have taken action favoring the restoration
of the army canteen. At a meeting of the
carpenters il was resolved that the depri-
walton of the soldiers of their canteen priv
liges a class of slavery that should be
deplored by every liberty-loving Ameri-
can
At the recent meeting of the Arkansas
State Federation of Labor, held at Fort
Smith, it was said that not over one-half OF
the labor unions in it's jurisdiction are af-
| filiated with the state body. 1t was also
stated that the state federation has Sc
cured the passage of several laws in the
| interest of labor, has created friendly rela-
| tons between the farmers and trade unions
and has perfected an agreement between
the Farmers State Union and the State
| Federation of Labor to assist one another
| whenever possible. 1t was asserted that the
conditions of organized labor today are
such that every union should be prepa rec
\ IN sister unions
| can be accomplished readily only through
| q state federation. Every up-tO-date unior
| should be affiliated with it's state organize.
| ton and be fully represented at the annua
| conventions, it was declared.
| The New York law regulating the labor
| of children and in part, of women, went
' into operation on October /. Its most i'm
portant provisions prohibition of the
| employment of children under the age OF
/ sixteen in any factory in the state before
Il