The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-11-10
G]MP{RS GIVEN
HEARTY WELCOME
WHEN He MADE HIS APPEAR
ANCE AT A. r. OF l.. CONVEN'
TiON AT DENVER.
SPOKE OVER TWO HOURS
Defending His Conduct in Late Cam.
paign-Denounce Congress, Su-
preme Court Decio ons and
lnJunctions.

Denver Nov 9.-Hearty applause
was given President Gompers of thj
American Federation of Labor by th'
delegates to the convention of tha
organization at its opening session to
day and also at the close of his repor
which he read at the afternoon ses
sion and was interpreted to indicate
that there will be no effective opposi
tion to his reelection.
John. Mitchell, former president ot
the Mine Workers Union, said tha'
while there may be strong objection
TO the Federation's taking part in pai
tics in the future, there will be lit
tie opposition to the reelection oi
Gompers or citicismeof his course in
the recent campaign
Gompers report was an account
ing of the pork performed by the
president during the past year Com
pers report referred to the Bucks
stove matter, denounced injunctiOns
and declared the move was against
the free speech and free press of the
wOrkingmen. He asserted that
Speaker Cannon packed the commit
tee not only against labor but against
any other real reform legislation" :"
and that the president made an un.
warranted attack upon me and upon
labor organizations OF the country.
After reporting on the work during
the campaign Gompers said:
The American labor movement is
not partisan to a political party; it is
partisan 10 principle, the principle
of equal rights and human freedom.
Our conventions have Frequently do
cIared that our movement has neither
the right nor the desire to dictate
how n member shall east his vote. ,
Following are extracts from his ad-
dress:
Labor and the U. S. Court.
Much space is given by Mr.
Gcmpers to decisions Of the United
States supreme court affecting or
ganized labor. Referring specifically
to the decision in the Danburry Hat
ters' case he says:
mo more sweeping, far reaching,
important and unjust decision has
ever been issued by a court The
Dred-Scott decision did not approach
il in scope for that decision only de-
creed that any runaway slave could
be pursued if he made his escape
into a free state and his return toI
his owner in a slave state be e..
forced by all the powers of govern
ment. ANY person who assisted N
the escape of a slave, or who har
bored him. could be prosecuted be
fore the courts for a criminal offense
That decision involved comparatively
few those slaves who could make
good their escape from a slave hold
ing state. The Civil war annulled
the decision of the supreme court
and freed the black slaves. II cost
the lives of hundreds OF thousands of
brave men on both sides. II emanci-
1ated from chattel slavery four mil
lions of black slaves. No man now
proudly points to that famous Dred- !
Scott supreme court decision"
Political Action.
When congress adjourned, after so
,hamelessly refusing to accord the
workers the relief and the rights |
upon which they had set their hearts
lnd hopes. the feeling became still
more tense among the great rank
md file OF labor The executive coun-
ia then decided to appeal from the
action Of congress TO the representa-
ives of the. two great political
iarties then in convention assembled. /
As already stated. we presented
IDENTICAL demands to the Republican
md the Democratic party conven-I
ions. In the one instance. that of
he Republican convention. the dec
arations adopted were for the enact
nent OF a law that would legalize the
rorst abuse and peryersion OF the
Injunction writ this in direct oppo-
iition to what We had asked. The
Democratic party. In convention al
Denver. adopted labOr's demands AMI
them in its party plat
Orm.
Ir view Of the specific declarations
# the men Of labor throughout our
ountry for many years. the repeated 1
declarations and instructions Of the
American Federation % Labor a.
many Of its conventions. some Of
ghIch 7 have quoted. it devoives
non you the duly constituted rep
Of the men Of labor oil
lur country You who come here AMI
yhO have been In immediate and
constant touch with the t0ilers OF
america. It. Is for sou 10 sal she
her the course pursued. to stand 4
aithfully b. orr friends and elect
hem. opprse our enemies a-7 defect
hem. whether they re canlisates FOR
.presiient or congress. or other
fCrur1uaa4 N Cnru-f ra-o