The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-22
REPLY OF GOMPERS
REPEATS THAT. BRIBERY AT TEMPTs WE'RE MADE.
In Lengthy Address to Federation of
 Labor, He Gives Facts in Case < A Great Ovation " Followed

NorIoik, Va, Nov. zl.--At the open ing of today's session of the American CTS. with Vice. President NO'Connell in
 thefchair, arose to a question of per- sonai privilege to reply to the denial
 sent out from New York last night by
 Broughton Brandenburg. who. declar- ing that he was the man referred to by President Gompers In the -latter's charges of an attempt to bribe Comp
 CTS, denied that he made any such at tempt to bribe. and also that he had
 any connection with the National Asso-
 ciatfon of Manufacturers. President Gompers said in part: T want to call your attention to the fact u ~ if Brandenburg desired only to cofsult me about publication. why was it necessary for him then to so persistently urge me to see him in private? Why was 1t necessary for him to assume a false name? Why SO much secrecy? Why was it necessary
 for him, in his letter to me urging that
 come at once to New York, to use the language he did, saying 1t was 'neces-
 sary for me to come at once as Mat
 ters are coming to a critical crisis r
 Why could there have been such a
 critical crisis between two men who had only passing acquaintance if
 only a public action was involved? If
 there was no attempt to bribe upon
 what other basis did he hope that
 was going to abandon my life's work :?
 All the circumstances, link by link,
 show Brandenburg came to me as a
 representative of the National Manu-
 lecturers Association. even disregard ing the statement that he himself told
 me directly that he represented this ' Association, whose purpose was to at- tack and destroy and bribe the men of labor in order to strike at the organi- szations themselves.
 X Why was it necessary for him to re- assure me that he represented the Man ufacturers' Association coming to me with warrants Issued and signed by the Century Syndicate. an auxiliary of the Manufacturers Association, the marks of the latter appearing in no less than two instances on the war rants presented; the Initials in one in- stance and the full name of the Manu- faeturers' Association spelled out in the other. These warrants were eirht inches long and four or i've inches wide, such as are used in ordinary bus mess houses to safeguard their money transactions.
 Immedfately after my speech yes- terday I was informed by Delegate Jerome Jones that about the time told of having received letters from Brandeburg, urging that go to Edge field. $. c. for a conference. Delegate Jones saw MT. Van Cieave, the presi- dent of the Manufacturers Association and another man in close proximity to Edgefield. am willing to stand be- fore delegates. the rank and file of labor and the general public for them to judge the meaning of this mans great secretiveness, the mystery which he threw around the whole affair and the documents produced by me. They key to 1t all is that declined to act as he wanted me to act" A great ovation to Mr. Gompers fol- lowed.
 After long debate involving impor- tant jurisdictional questions between steam filters and plumbers on one hand and the carpenters and the Amalga- mated Wood Workers on the other. the Federation in the first dispute. pro. vidtng for q committee of three from each side with President Gompers as chairman, to adjust the dispute, the executive council in case of failure to arrive at an amicable agreenfAnt to deterniine the matter.
 The steam filters desire absolute Jurisdiction over steam fitting work done by plumbers in all small cities and elsewhere.
 The federation reaffirmed its Mime apolis action. calling for the fun anal gamation Of the carpenters and wood workers and provided for a committee to be composed of the president and secretary of each of the International Unions named. with President Gompers as chairman to bring about another vote on arlalgamation on the Identical lines as laid down at Minneapolis. The convention thiss afternoon took up the consideration of the brewery workers controversy. involving the revocation of the charter. because of refusal to relinQuish Jurisdiction over the brewery engineers, firemen and teamsters. A hard fight is being made for the return of the charter.