Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-11-13
low Ans WILL
PUSH Fight AT
LABOR MEETING
SPLIT IN ELECTRICAL WORKERS
HAS CAUSED MUCH FEELING
AT TORONTO AND MATTER MAY
REACH FLOOR OF CONVENTION.

Toronto, Ont, Nov. 12.-President
Gompers devoted some time today to
explaining to the American Federation
of Labor convention the status of the
contempt proceedings under which he,
Mitchell and Morrison were sentenced
to Jail. The electrical workers fight,
which the Iowa delegates are interest
ed in because of it's having resulted in
barring them from the convention, did
not come up on the floor today. The
Iowans, led by President Urich of the
State Federation of Labor, will be
vention to reverse the committees
finding
Electrical Workers Scrap.
Efforts Of the leaders of the Amer
! lean Federation of Labor to have the
row among the electrical workers dis
posed Of in committee have stirred the
| friends of the seeding faction and it
seems probable that the whole trouble
will be brought onto the floor. Feeling
between the sympathizers of both fac
tions have been intensified by the cir
culation among the delegates Of an
open letter from the seceders showing
| IhcLo O6c ioSdl uhloIo OIL . ctillldtCu WlIi
the faction headed by ]. ]. Reid of
Erie, Pa, while the regular organiza-
| ton, headed by f. ]. McNulty OF
Springfield, ILL.,, has only 105 local
unions supporting it.
Has Compromise Plan.
Resolutions have been introduced by
delegates from San Francisco urging
| the federation to unseat the regular
delegates from the McNulty faction
and to call special convention of cleo
trical workers to elect new set of
| officers. The resolutions provide that
none of the leaders of either of the ex-
listing factions be permitted to run for
Office in the reorganized union.
/ While it is considered improbable by
| the delegates that the resolutions will
be adopted, 1t is said to be certain
that there will be big fight on the
| floor on the question. The funds of the
International Brotherhood Of Elec-
trical Workers, amounting to $SS,000
are tied up by injunctions in the
courts pending settlement of the con-
troversy. The row overshadowed any
of the other jurisdictional disputes
that are to be brought before the con
vention, though there are more OF
| them than usual this year.
| Many Internal Fights.
Among the jurisdictional squabbles
which the convention is asked to set
tie are those of the engineers, firemen
and teamsters against the brewery
workers, the elevator constructors
against the machinists, the Amalga-
mated Society of Carpenters against
the United Brotherhood of Carpenters,
the electrical workers and the stage
employees over control of picture ma
chine operators, the paper-hangers
against the painters and the glass bot
tie blowers against the flint glass
workers.
Affiliation of the American Fedora
| tion of Labor with the international
Labor Congress of Europe is urged in
resolutions introduced by delegates
from the Amalgamated Association of
Street and Electric Railway Employees.
Charles Dold of Chicago, president of
the Piano and Organ Workers Union
| introduced resolutions advocating the
early formation Of labor political
party. Dold is one of the leaders who
opposed the political program of the
American Federation Of Labor during
the last presidential campaign and 1t
Is expected that the resolutions will be
nonconcurred in by the committee.