Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1908-11-20
MITCHELL GETS
CHEERS FRGh CONVENTION
Convention Decides that Members
of the Council That Do Not
Agree With Majority Can Quit
If They Want to- Mitchell
Will Not Pay Fine.

Denver. Colo, Nov. 20.-The con-
vention Of the American Federation
of Labor today elected Mrs. Harriet
G. R. Wright. president of the Colo
ternal delegate representing the Ma
tional American Woman's Equal Suf-
frage association.
The onsderation committees re-
port on the presidents report was re-
sumed where it stopped yesterday,
after an amendment was ADOPTED
supporting President Gompers' stand
in regard to injunctions to the effect
that members of the unions may de-
fend themselves against injunctlons
to the full extent of their ability and
not go to jail for contempt without
defense as proposed by the commit
tee.
Today's recommendation of the
committee that any member of the
executive council, who does not agree
with any action of the council, should
resign. was adopted without debate.
This action was the outcome of the
position taken in the late political
campaign by Daniel Keefe president
of the Longshoremen's union, who
supported Taft for president.
John Mitchell at the afternoon ses-
son yesterday offered second
amendment to the committees re-
port. saying In part:
within a few days the committee
will decide whether our president,
secretary and myself shall go to Jail.
l don't want to go to jail. But / shall
accept that judgment and / shall pay
no fine" This declaration brought
cheers from the delegates.
Mr.. MitchelFs amendment was to
insert certain words so that the re-
port should read with the amend
ments of Delegate Duncan and him
self as follows:
whenever the courts issue an in
junction to regulate our personal re-
lation we declare we will ex rcise
all the rights and privileges guaran-
teed by the constitution and laws of
the country and insist that 1t is our
duty to defend ourselves at all haz-
ards and recommend such be our
action, taking whatever results may
follow"
Several other delegates discussed
the amendments and Representative
Furuseth closed the discussion with a
d fense of the committees report.
on the motion OF Mr.. Duncan his
resolution and that of Mr.. Mitchell
We're voted on together. A roll call
was demanded to settle the entire
question. The amendments were
adopted by a vote of 11,272 to 3,576.
The next session of the presidents
report referred to the political action
of Mr.. Gompers, and the executive
council during the late presidential
campaign. Under the caption '1egis-
IatiOn and political action" the re-
port describes the actions of the
president and executive council along
this line. The committee I'm its
report endorsed his actions.
The committee quoted three sec
tions from the report WHICH It espe-
ciaHy commends.
The first says:
"Tho American IN hor movement il
not partisan TO a political = rty; it is
partisan to a principle OF equal rights
anu human freedom"
The second says:
"Our conventions have declared
that our movement has not the right
nor the desire to dictate how a mem
ber shall cast his vote. 1t has been
my privilege and honor always to in
sst. | have not departed and can not
now depart from that true trade
union course. At the Minneapolis
convention the following declaration
was adopted:
1--WE must have with us in our eco
nomic movement men OF all parties,
as well as all creeds, and the minor
ity right of the humblest man to
vote where he pleases and to worship
where his conscience dictates must
be sacredly guarded"
The committee In It's remarks on
the quotation says:
We hold that this does not hold
in the case OF an executive officer
while he remains as such. II he is
unable to agree with this and must
oppose for conscientious reasons any
policy, the committee believes il is
his right and duty to resign his Of
fee"
This recommendation was aimed
directly at Daniel j. Keefe. Who as a
member of the executive council
came out in a public statement in
support OF w. Fl. TAFT for president
after the council had declared IN IA
,Nor OF w. j. Bryan.