Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-17
RATED AS INDEFINITE
PRESIDENT 0OMPERS VIEW OF
RECENT CUBAN DISPATCH.
Says He Had Nothing to Do With
Strike Of Stevedores on the
Island.

President Samuel Gompers of the Ameri-
can Federation OF Labor has returned
from Cuba. and was at his Office in Typo
graphical Temple today. He was shown a
cablegram from Havana, which stated that
"a general strike Of the stevedores en-
pioyed along the Havana water front Is
threatened Two hundred men left their
work this morning. alleging that the under
standing which they entered into with the
military government under Gen. Wood had
not been enforced. high government Of
fetal lays the blame for the discomfort on
Samuel Gompers, president of the Ameri-
can Federation Of Labor. who recently
spent several weeks here. The government
Is anxious to avert a strike. owing to the
present large sugar movement"
The statement about a high government
omcial said Mr. Gompers. lis rather an
indefinite quantity. There is no truth in
the statement that l am responsible for
any strike or threatened strike as de-
scr1oed- The truth OF the matter is that
went along the docks at Havana In COM
pany with Mr.. Canova, editor of the Ha-
vana newspaper, La Lucha, and Mr. Ham,
llton, one of the editors of the New York
Heraio. One evening In ordinary CONVEX
station Mr.. CanOva asked me what I
thought of the present condition of the Gu
pan Workingmen as compared with their
cohuitlon seven years ago on the occasion
o. my former visit to the island. L re-
marked that the wages had not been in
creased II seemed, and In some instances
nad been decreased, while the cost of Ey-
Ing had increased. Therefore L Informed
MI; Canova that in my opinion the con-
oltlon or the working people of Havana
was not any better, but evidently constd-
erably worse. than 1t was seven years be-
fore
Probable Reasons for Strike.
Editor Canova asked questions of the
stevedores. cigar makers and other work.
ing classes as to the wages they received
ana the general condition of labor NV
only conversation with the workers was
chroush Canova. and as a result of our
talks he published an article in his news
paper on the labor situation.
- strike occurred, or is threatened {"
the unfair treatment meted ont tn the
stevedores and others by the shippers and
snip owners. In 1901. under the military
sHyerhnent OF Cen Wood. there was
strlKe' and neither the shippers nor the
workmen could reach an agreement, and
the matter was left to Gen. Wood for his
a oe,a 81, IL, as the umpire. He made an
ders NO: II. In 1t was a schedule of
wages. the prescribed hours of labor. etc.
me shippers have violated general or
now Is the restoration Of conditions as
they were under that order If the men
want the conditions Of 1901 restored, it is
certalnly evidence that the employers have
violated their trust
MY sympathies are undoubtedly with
the Cuban workingmen and before 1 left
Havana l called the matter to the atten-
tlon or Gov. Magoon. and he said his SYM
pathies. too. were with the workingmen
and he added that he would do what he
could for them. But it was a question
In his mind whether he could regard gen.
eral orders No. II as a law under which he
could take action