The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1908-03-20
LABOR MEN|N CONFERENCE
PROTEST COMMITTEE PREPARING
MEMORIAL TO CONGRESS.
WANT Asri.rRvsT ACT MopiFiss


Law with Regard to inIvnetlens
Are SEEING corsidersd--unlons Noe
TO BE Held 40 Conspiraeies.
Washington, March i8.-That q me-
mortal formally protesting asainst
the inaction Of congress In the mattss
OF legislation in the interest OF o.
ganized labor and clearly settins
forth its demands with respect thereto
would be presented to the leaders o.
that body within a few days, wee per
haps the most important action taken
at the opening session OF the labor
conference here. This duty will do
volve upon one OF two committees APP
pointed by President Gompers, termed
the protest committee" which was
directed to frame an address to be
presented to those responsible for
legislation in congress. 1t was also
decided to ask the leaders In congress-
to fix upon time when committee
from the labor conference can confer
with them. 1t IL understood that the
memorial will call attention to the re-
cent injunction decisions OF the SUI
preme courts against labor organzn-
tons and asking that the Sherman
antitrust law be so amended as to
afford relief.
feature OF the gathering was the
presence for the first time in the his
tory of labor gatherings Of delegates
representing the Farmers National
union and the Brotherhood OF Locomoi
tive Engineers, which two bodies have
never affiliated with the American
Federation OF Labor. except in q fra
ternal way.
Want Ban on Roycotts.
Details of the conference held be-
tween Seth Low of New York, presi-
dent of the Civic Federation, and Sam
uel Gompers, president of the Amer
lean Federation of Labor, which are
slowly coming to light, indicate that
labor is not yet committed to leBisla'
ton about to be urged by President
Roosevelt along the lines Of recon,
mendation by the Civic Federation.
That there is difference Of opinion
that threatens to overturn the pro-
gram was learned from an authorita-
tive source. Mr.. Low is said to have
returned to New York much discour-
aged. He had expected to be able to
harmonic the points on which the la
Dor interests, represented by Mr..
Gompers, failed to conform with the
program of the Civic Federation.
The officials of the American FEEDER
alton of Labor are said to be with
h,l hot nrt a
gram because the president feels that
| he cannot indorse legislation which
| would legalize trade boycotts by the
| labor unions. The provision OF the
proposed legislation exempting labor
organizations from the operations OF
| the Sherman antitrust law was the
medium through which it was intend
ed to secure full Endorsement by the
| American Federation of Labor. At the
| conference at the White House, which
Mr. Gompers attended, 1t appears that
organized labor was in complete &C
| cord with the program of the Civic
Federation. Later, however, Mr..
| Gompers conferred with some Of his
associates in the American Fedora
tion and the consensus of opinion was
that the president in his message to
congress should recognize the right
OF organized labor to withhold it's
trade from concern whose manner
of conducting its business was inimical
to organized labor.
1t is said that the president would
not agree to this and, in fact, that he
was disposed to urge that boycotts
should be suppressed by legislation
which otherwise was fair to the unions