Evening star., 1907-11-13

voted to an effort to weaken. cripple and
destroy the unions of labor.
Il am reliably informed,'' he said, that
not less than Il, coo secret detective agents
of the Pinkerton and other companies are
constantly in the pay of the manufactur
ers' associations to spy upon and misrep-
resent the doingS of labor. Are these hire
ling character assassns to be the princi-
pal beneiciaries of the million-and-a-ha f.
dollar war fund, and is the fund to be
further devoted to suits at law against
organized labor so as to engage our or
ganizatiOns and our men in defensive liti-
CATION and to divert US from the imminent
and important work to which we should
devote our time and whatever ability with
which we may be possessed? Surely, re-
cent events justify an affirmative an
Swer'
Mr. Gompers touched upon the labor
conditions in Cuba, Porto Rico and in the
Panama canal zone. In the latter place,
| he said. they were far from satisfactory
Referring to the child-labor agitation, he
said it had borne good fruit ard is des-
tined to bring still better results.
To-day ne said. there is not an insti-
tuition in our country, political CONNER
cial. financial or religious. but which is
committed in some way to the abolition of
child labor Better than all. it is now the
universal judgment of all our people that
the facts as to the existence of Child la
Dor shall be investigated and ascerta1ned
and such legislation enacted as shall take
the children from the factory, the work
shop, the mill, the mine and the store or
anywhere they are employed tor pront,
and give to them the opportunities and
advantages of the home. the school and
the playground, that they may imblbe the
sunshine and the light to grow into the
physical and mental manhood and wom-
anhood of the future
The movement for the eight-hour day
had grown tremendously, he said, and
was still growing He thought that in
spite of the tactical mistake that had been
made in connection with the telegraphers'
strike 1t had done good.
Referring to what he termed the in
junction abuse" he severely criticised
Secretary of War Taft for his recent
tions, to the effect that it was a meas
ure to create a favored class of wrong
doers among workingmen
THE utterance of Mr.. Taft, he said
was entirely unprovoked, unnecessary
and wholly gratuitous and withal un-
founded. From other sources. sord d
sources, we may expect malicious misrep-
resentation, but from nigh officials OF our
government, never. Mr.. TAFT could not
help but know that labor's bill to regu-
ate injunctions was not designed to Gre
ate a privileged class of wrongdoers
among the workingmen of our country,
out to restore to them the rights of which
they have been robbed by court decis ons:
to its original beneficent and proper pur-
poses.
I'VE reassert that we ask no immunity
for ourselves or for any other man who
nay be guilty of any unlawful or GRIM
nal act, but we have a right to insist,
Ind We do insist. that when a workman
IS charged with a crime or any unlawful
conduct he shall be accorded every right
e apprehended. charged and tried by the
same process of law as any other cltlZen
Of our country.
The injunctions against which we pro-
test are t1agrantly and without warrant
Of law issued almost daily in some section
of our country, and are ViOlatiVe of the
fundamental rights of man. When better
understood they will shock the conscience
of our people, the spirit and genius of
our republic We shall exercise our
every right and in the meantime con-
and the redress to which are so justly
entitled
Light is shed upon the recent strike
of the commercial telegraphers by d state
ment made by President Gompers at the
A. F. L. convention yesterday. when h.
sad:
"A movement of great Importance was
recently inaugurated among the CONNER
cial telegraphers of the country. For
neary twenty years there was little or no
organization among them. IN consequence
of which many unjust conditions VIZ
imposed. Wages, where not reduced re-
NAMED stationary during all tn period.
despite the enhanced cost of living. Any
attempt to organize was met with dis
or mnation or discharge. This was par
ticularly true of the Western Union Tele-
graph Company.
"A general revival of organization was
manifest during the latter part of last
yea" and the beginning of this, which re-
suited in securing an advance of 10 per
cent in wages. The deep resentment fe.t
by the telegraph operators 4gainst the
unjust action of the companies found its
expression in a determined effort foy
the redress of grievances, the stoppage
of discrimination and the exercise of the
right TO organize. These demands were
either slow of concession by the companies
or not conceded at all. The operators
manifested their restlessness, which
brought forth a promise from the com
pan es for the redress of a number of
grievances. The men and women who
had so long been subject to unjust con-
ditions had little faith in these promises
and as a result strike was inaugurated
with little or no preparation. They de-
manded an eight-nour day. equal pay for
equal work by men or women, - per
cent increase and that the companies fur
nish typewriters.
'Of course. all of us and all friends
of la Dor sympathze with the righteous
demands which the telegraphers made.