Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-31
THE GREAT PROBLEM
CONFRONTING LABOR

THE Mckees Rocks strike was not al
lowed at any time to extend beyond
its immediate field. nor was there any
other strike in this country during the
year that had much more than local
sweep, including the Philadelphia street
car strike for higher pay. and the
Georgia railroad strike for the elfmina-
ton Of negro firemen. both being won
by the men, In the main the labor STU
alton for the year was extremely quiet.
interest centered in the so-called Buck
Stove and Range case, wherein the lead
ers OF the American Federation, Messrs.
Samuel Gompers. John Mitchell and Sec
rotary Morrison, were held guilty Of con-
tempt Of court for continuing to publish
a boycott of the Buck Stove and Range
Company of st. Louis, in the Fedora
ZIONIST March H. the District of CO.
lunlbia Court of Appeals sustained the
lower court In its decision that Gompers
and his associates were guilty, and In
October the federal court for the Dis
trict of Columbia still further sustained
the decision Mr. Gompers and those
with him commended that obedience to the
mandate of the court In the first instance
was an abridgment of personal liberty
10 which the labor organizations could
not submit. and they insisted that,
though they might be imprisoned. they
would continue to fight for the principle
involved.
Gompers Reiterates Position.
This position was reiterated by Mr..
Gompers in the meeting of the American
Federation Of Labor at Ottawa Novem-
Der 8. the convention being the first
annual session of the Federation held
outside of American boundaries. Mr..
Gompers, however, explained that this
1ignt for principle was to be evolution
airy and not revolutionary-an attitude
which he had previously taken in tour
abroad made by him during the year for
the purpose of studying labor conditions
in other countries. At the Federation
convention and elsewhere, 1t was made
clear that the method of operating Tor
the achievement of reforms was 10 oe
by suffrage and by influence upon suf-
frage And wherever elections Of any
importance We're held during 1909, the
labor unions were found active In at
tempting to elect or prevent the election
OF candidates favorable or unfavorable to
themselves. But they were not con-
spiciously successful politically until the
November ides, when they again put
labor mayor, p. III. Mccarthy, into the
chair in San Francisco.
Interestingly enough, one OF the sub
jects Of consideration which aroused the
most enthusiastic at the convention Of
this labor federation was that of woman
suffrage, and a resolution was adopted
urging the various locals of the fedora
ton to exert their influence in every pos
sible way in favor of enlarged rights and
the franchise for women. OF course part
of the motive of these resolutions was the
Improvement in the condition of working
women, which i'll was fels might best be
wrought through woman suffrage. But
aside from that, it was significant that
thus. among the so-called common peo-
pie the suffrage movement gained ex-
plicit support.
Woman Suffrage Movement.
Outside Of the labor field suffrage
made equally notable progress during the
year In the eastern states number Of
well.to-do and wealthy women took
active hold of the propaganda. including
Mrs o. H. z. Belmont. Mrs Clarence H.
Mackay and many others. Organizations
af many sorts were formed and member
ship was held in them not only by promi-
nent women. but also by prominent men
There was little or no tendency to adopt
The militant program of the sO-called
suffragettes of England. several of whom
came over to America during the latter
part of the year to stimulate general in
terest i'll the cause. Among them was
Mrs Emmelne Pankhurst, leader of l e
inilitants in the British empire. She was