The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-19
MIR. GOMPERS
 IS SATISFIED Workingmen Are Stick ing by Him. WILL SUPPORT MIR. BRYAN
 - Hundreds of Letters Received Bear Out This Assertion. That Some Opposition Should Develop Was to Be Expected, But Gompers Was Fully Prepared
 For 1t.
BY ALFRED J. sToFER.

BY ALFRED !. sT0FER.
 Washington, Aug 1s.--(Special.)-- According to communications he has received from leading officials in ths dnions all over the United States Samuel Gompers. president of the American Federation of Labor. Is sat- isfied that the great majority of the workingmen of the land are standing by him in the position taken by him in his recent editorial in the Fedora ton organ. in which he advised work ingmen to vote against Judge Taft and against certain Republican mem bers of Congress.
 MT. Gompers has hundreds of letters to bear out this assertion, and in ad- Gition nearly all of the trades union newspapers have indorsed what he had to say. That some opposition should develop was to be expected. and the head of the big organization was prepared fully to hear that certain men would be quick to seize this op- portunity to say harsh things of him. They have been fighting him for years and have done their utmost to have him deposed as the head of the Fed eration. But each year they have sig nally failed to dislodge him. and Gompers appears to be as solid with the organization as T. V. Towderly was in years gone by with the old organization of Knights of Labor. Gompers is a quicker and brighter man than PowderIy. There is much more force in Gompers and he is in- tellectually strong. Gompers isn't any thing to brag of in looks. He's an unusually short, pudgy, smooth-faced individual. with a very bald head. and to see him trudgtng along the street, one not acquainted with him would hardly single him out for the president of the greatest labor organ ization in the world.
 Powderly is an exceptionally good . looking man. and dresses quite neat ly. He looks more like bank cash fer than a man who formerly occu- pied the position of directing genius of a powerful labor organization. Powderly was formerly an ardent Democrat in politics and at one time 1t was proposed to run him for Con- gress on the Democratic ticket up In pennsylvania, where he used to live. it being thought that he would win S the election.
 Voted For Mckinley.
 In 1896 after he lost his hold in labor circles.- he announced that he would vote for Mckinley for Presi- dent. and when the late Ohio states man became President of the United States Powderly was appointed Com missioner General of Tmmigrations Tn some way he was sased out of that place and It was given to F. P. Sar- gent, the present Commissioner Gen. era1. In order to smooth down the rufled feelings of Powderly President Roosevelt caused him to be given a position in the migration service which pays pretty we'll and does not have such a lot of work with 1t. Sar- gent used to be a Democrat, and as a reward for his going over to the Republicans he was given his snug position.
 By the way, in 1896 Sargent and present Interstate Commerce CommIs- sioner Clark were among the heads of big labor organizations who wired Senator Cullom that S00.00o railroad union men would be greatly enraged if Congress did not pass the injunc- ton bill which was that year forced through the Senate. but which was chloroformed in the House of Repre- sentatives. Senator Cullom read that telegram in the course of the debate. At the recent Denver convention. a strong point was made with reference to this bill in the platform as adopt ed by the Democrats. That action on the part of the Democrats at Dem yer is what has so generally satisfied the labor advocates. Both the Demo- cratic National Committee and the Congressional Committee are taking pains to have this record spread be- fore the voters of the country
 This injunction or contempt bill was put through the Senate on ac- count of the persistent demands of the Democrats. But for their urgent de- mands 1t would never have passed. It was reported by Senator Hill of New York. from the judiciary committee. A, AR seven Republicans and six Democrats. Populists in that Senate held the ball. ance of power, and that accounts for the close margin the Republicans had In the committee. The question was gone over most carefully. Some of the Republicans tried to dodge and de- lay. The Democrats would not per init them. They had to come to the mark, much as some of the other side may have disliked their position. The Democratic members of the Senate Ju- dietary committee in 1896 were ip the order of rank as follows: James L.. Pugh, of Alabama: James z. George. of Misaissippi; William F. Villas, of Wisconsin; David B. Hill, of New York; William Lindsay. Of Kentucky, and John W. Daniel of Virginia. The seven Republican members of the committee were: George F. Hoar of Massachusetts, chairman; Henry M. Teller, of Colorado (now a Demoerat): OrYille H. Platt, of Connecticut; John H. Mitchell. of Oregon; Cushman K. Davis. of Minnesota; Clarence D. Clark. (the present chairman of the judiciary committed of Wyoming, and John M. Thurston. of Nebraska.
 The First MvVs.
 The first move in the direction of this legislation was a resolution of- fered by Senator Call of Florida. It was on account of the arrest and con- viction of Eugene V. Debs for con- tempt. and as is well known he was later imprisoned. The late Senator Pugh offered a bill of his own. That was reported adversely. The Call res olution did not seem to satisfy either side, and finally 1t was decided to re- fer the whole question to the Judi ciary Committee to investigate and re- port bill which would cover the sit- uation. After months of deliberation the Committee agreed upon a bill that Senator Hlll was directed to report. It was thoroughly debated in the Senate and passed, and 1t was held up in the House. Thomas B. Reed of Maine being the Speaker of that body at the time. In his speech Senator Hill in explain-