Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-21
ASK SOCIALISTS TO EXPLAIN
Labor Delegates Inquire About Crit
oisms Of Leaders.
WHO FINANCED DEBs sPEo1AL'
His Followers Accused OF Seekiug 60
Disrupt Federation - Inquiry
Made Into Reason for
Opposition.

DENVER. Colo, Nov. 0.-The convention
Of the American Federation OF Labor got
itsclf In a parliamentary wrangie today
over a resolution introduced az an amend
ment to a part OF the report Of the com
mittee on presidents report asking the con
vtntion to investigate the source OF the
socialist party's funds In the late political
campaign. An amendment calling upon the
fifteen socialist delegates to the convention
to explain allegations detrimental 10 the
federation officials, appearing in the social
lstic press, was agreed to after a number
OF speeches and considerable disorder.
This action of the convention probably
will be reversed at the afternoon session.
but the socialists have accomplished their
purposes to make socialist speeches before
the convention and get them in the record.
When the convention met today consid-
GRAFTON OF the committees report on presl-
dents report was then resumed where It
stopped yesterday afternoon. The recon-
rhendation OF the committee on the subject.
Legislation and Political Action" which
caused a long debate yesterday, carrying
with It the rec ommendation that any mem
Der Of the executive council who does not
agree with any action by the executive
council should resign was adopted without
debate.
When the point In the committees report
endorsing the Federationist, the official Or
gan, was reached, Delegate ]. M. Barns Of
the ~Cigarmakers protested against an edi-
torial which had appeared during the po-
litical campaign asking "who is financing
the Red specisl7" with which Presidential
Candidate Eugene ". Debs made his cam
paign.
The editorial charged that the forces OPP
posed to labor were financing the Red
Special"
Mr.. Barns offered a resolution calling
upon the convention to appoint a commit
tee to go over the books OF the socialist
party and ascertain where the funds were
obtained.
Il. J. Duffey of the Pottery Workers
moved that before the amendment to the
report be considered the socialists present
be asked II they endorsed editorials ap-
pearing In socialist organs attacking the
federation and it's officers.
President Gompers defended the editorial.
He asked why the only paragraph In the
editorial in which he had expressed an
opinion is taken up and every charge in
the editorial Is overlooked for he did make
a number of charges. Mr.. Gompers
1 charged that the socialists were trying to
disrupt The trade union movement.
He said that there never has appeared a
more severe srrsignment of the officers Of
the federation In the hostile press than
has appeared in the Cleveland Citizen.
edited by Max Hayes, a representative OF
the Typographical union In the conven-
lion. Mr.. Gompers stated he had no I'll
will against any man personally and that
he fought solely for the trade union move
ment. He had no Ill will towards even
Debs or Daniel DeLeon of the Industrial
Workers of the World, although both were
trying to destroy the trade union move
ment.
Delegate Duffey's motion asking for ex-
PLANTATION from the socialists OF editorials
in certain socialist papers attacking the
federation officers was finally agreed to.
A. b. Grant OF the Metal Pollshers, a
socialist, said he was not responsible for
the editorials. but that he believed that
there has been cases where labor leaders
had sold out. although he made no charges
against the federation officers.