Omaha daily bee., 1907-11-12
Delegates Welcomed to Jamestown by
Governor and Mayor.
RESPONSE BY MR.. GoMPERs
Report of Credentials Committee is
Considered
ANNUAL REPORT OF OFFICERS
Membership OF the Organization Exc
ceeds Million and a Halt and IL
Increasing Ran.
idly.

NOhFOLh, Va. Nov. 1.-THE twenty
seventh annual convention OF the American
Federation OF Labor convened today for
session Of two weeks, the onenlns cerernon-
les being held in the Auditorium at the
jamestown exposition. where the day was
celebrated as American Federation Of
Labor day" Though the weather was
threatening. the attendance was large
In the presence Of 900 delegates. repre-
senting the great army of organized labor
in America, including every member of the
federations executive council. with the ex-
ception of John Mitchell. head of the
United Mine Workers, detained by illness,
President Gompers declared the meeting
open. Addresses of welcome were made
by Governor Swanson, President Tucker
OF the exposition: Mayor RiddiclS Of Nor
folk, President Anderson OF the Norfolk
Board of Trade, President Scott of the
Norfolk Central Labor union, and Presi-
dent oConnell of the Virginia Federation
of Labor. President Gompers responded In
the name os the federation.
The report Of the credentials committee
the first business matter to come up
The program OF the afternoon included the
annual reports of President Gompers. Sec
retary Morrison and Treasurer Lennon.
President Gompers said It was his hope to
reach these today, as we'll as other busl-
htoo " lllt ltutIdNlOI all HebSlOnh OF W1tCn
will be open TO the public.
The sessions beginning tomorrow morning
will be held in the Norfolk armory.
Victor L. Berger. the Milwaukee editor
and socialist leader announced that he was
continuing. his fight against President
Gompers, and would file protests against
his reelection, but that the displacement
Of President Gompers could not be looked
for at this time. Mr.. Berger said he would
tomorrow introduce a resolution demand
ing federal legislation preventing transpor-
tation in interstate commerce of all "child
labor" manufactured products.
Arthur a, Hay, special representative OF
the International Typographical union at
Los Angeles, Cal. is going TO ask the
federation to assume control OF and hnance
the fight on hehalf at labor now being
waged by the Citizens Alliance union OF
Los Angeles against trade unions there
Among l.. , delegates TO the federation are
representatives from Canada, Mexico and
Cuba.
Gain i'm Membership.
Secretary Morrison in his report said:
a resume of the progress made numerl-
cally by the American Federation of Labor
during the past eleven years. cannot but
encourage the trade unionists to redouble
their efforts to educate organize, and fed
crate the wage workers of the world. The
growth of the American Federation OF
Labor from 1897 to 1904 was phenomenal,
The membership jumped from 264,S25 in
1897 to 1,6I6,200 in 1904. This marked in
crease in membership caused me to say,
in my report to the Boston convention
that where organizations are formed
rapidly within a short period. 1t must be
expected that in adjusting the members
into unions the membership must decrease
somewhat from the high-water mark
which 1t reached during the time the organ
ization wave held sway. There was q
decrease in membership in 1905 from the
high-water mark of 1901 This decrease
was almost entirely caused by internal
strife, which led TO secession and a num-
ber of ill-advised and unsuccessful strikes
of a few international organizations. Since
| that time, with but two exceptions, these
organizations have recovered their mem
\ bership. The two unions referred 10 give
ample evidence that during the coming
| year they will entirely recover from the
effects of the secession movement and the
disastrous strike. careful tabuiation OF
| the membership of the affiliated unions of
\ the American Federation OF Labor shows
| that there was 1,6S3,424 members paid OF
reported upon for the last month of this
! fiscal year, an increase of T224 members
over the hiBh-water average membership
| of 1904. If we add to that number the
5000 members OF the United Brewery
| Workers, whose charter was revoked In
| June of this fiscal year, Il would give a
| total membership OF 1,723,424 for the month
| of September remarkable increase Ia
| membership for the past eleven ysSrt
| when you take into consideration the NUM-
| Der of strikes that have taken place and
| the organized determined efforts OF the
! employers to Tetard organization and dis
rupt the unions now in existence.