The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-15
ORGANIZED LABOR
IS FOR Open WAR
VIII Fight Formally and Off
cially the Open Shop"
of the Steel Trust.
REGARDED AS CRISIS IN
AFFAIRS OF LABOR
Copies of Resolution Sent to
President. Lawmakers and
Governors of States.

PfTTSBCRG, Dee. li-War was for.
mallY declared upon the United States
| Steel corporation by leaders of organ
| lzed labor throughout the United States
and Canada at the close Of two DAYS
i conference today. The decision TO bat
| tie against the stand taken by the srcel
| corporation in its policy of open shop
was reached By the labor conferees
after hours of debate
NJ the conference Samuel Gompers,
! president of the American Federation
! of Labor. presided and, through him. the
measure Was put upon tho record books
| Of the executive council Of the fcdcr-
| alton.
Appeal to President
The grievances Of organized labor
against the steel corporation as set
forth in the resolutions have been for
warded 10 President Taft. TO the
| United States senate and 10 the house
| of representatives. Governors of the
states in which the United States steel
corporation owns plants or has interests
also will receive copies. The resolution
in part follows:
- y crisis in The affairs of labor has
| arisen. The gigantic trust, the United
| States Steel corporation. is using It's
| great wealth and power in an effort H.
rob the toIlers of their right of Ameri
| eau manhood aud of the opportunity 10
! resist its further encroachmcnt. Grown
! rich by the consent Of the people Of
our country. this corporation. in its mad
greed for still greater riches, sweeps
aside. makes and unmakes law. lis en-
actors and executors. aud is now en-
| gagged IN an effort To DESTROY the only
| tactor-tbe organizations OF It's en-
| ployecS-standing between il and un
! limited. unchecked and unbridled indus
trial, political. social and moral car
mage. If there exists any verile power
in our time and life 10 check the ahso-
! lutte autocratic domination of civic. iu-
dustriai and political life OF our people
and our republic, il must he found IN
the iudomitable Will and mission Of the
! much misunderstood and misreprcscntcd
organizations Of labor.
Corporation Denounced.
The United States Steel corporation
! has declared war on labor. In its Sc
! crct councils this corporation has dc.
creed that the only obstacle TO It's com
! plcte sway-organized labor-shai! be
| crushed. The labor organizations con
! SlSt of its employees. the workers Cher
! wives aud little onesl. human flesh aud
! blood. It is by their labor that they
/ live: they have no purpose other than
/ Safeguarding their lives. tbcir charac-
ter. their future. the safety of Che re-
| public and humanity.
| These factors now confront each
/ other. By their purposes attitude aud
actions must they be judged.
son june !, 1909. tnc United States
steel corporation proclaimed It's decree
! of hostility toward labor, The right
/ l.f 4 n. So, -....a-
common protection WAS no longer 10
bc recognized or tolerated. Accompany
| ing that decree was 4 notice of n fur
! lhcr reduction i'm the already scant
I wages of the workers.
Call for Aid.
Tho decree went into effect ,Tulv
! /. 1909, We therefore urge that an
earnest effort bc made 10 thoroughly
! organize all employees in the iron. steel
aud tin-platc industries and subsidiary
correlated trades. Owing 10 Immediate
pressing necessity caused 10y the pres
cni strike and the jDdcfcnsiblc hostile
attitude of the United States steel cor
poration, We earnestly call or all ma
/ tioual and international unions Of
! America 10 send nj least ono organizer
to assist in this work We further
urge and recommend that in all placeS
where MILLS are located the central labor
organizations appoint special commit
tees with instruc tious to cooperate IN
this work For cducations purposes
we recommend thar this manifesto he
made special order III al central labor
organizations at the first meeting In
January. 1910.
Appeal for Contributions.
I'VE recommend that the executive
council of the American Federation Of
Labor issue a circular 10 all unions Of
America and appeal for financial con
trihutions 10 aid the striking iron,
steel aud plate workers.
We further recommend that the
amount of such contribution should not
be less than 10 ccDts per member.
In view Of the great wrongs per
petrated by the United States steel
corporation mol ouly against the work
crs but the public generally. We rec.
ummend that committee be appointed
by this conference 10 wait upon tine
president OF the United States. the pres
idcut of The United States senate. She
speaker Of The house of representatives
and such members of either house of
congress aS may lee deemed advisable
for tho purpose Of LAYING before them
the grievances from which labor sut
tcrs at tho hands of this corporation.
Tyranny Alleged.
al the instance of tho United States
steel corporation. Officers of local, mu-
niclral aud state governments have nm.
warrantablr. tyrapnized over citizens,
invading the coHstiJntionalN guarau.
iccd right of free asscmblagc and free
speech. We recommend that commit
tees be appointed by this conference
10 wait upon The governors of states
and such other official representatives
of fhc counties and municipalities as
arc in control where the United state,
steel corporation has plants located. for
he purpose of presenting 10 these of
tici1ls he great wrongs inflicted upon
I he people of thesr communities, and
hat The committees demand an inVeS-
| cation and. where charges made are
bv evidence, the officers
Continued OH Page Eleven