The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-11-27
OLD AGE PENSIONS
FOR The STATES
SCHEME WAS SUBMITTED BY
THE FEDERATION OF LABOR
FOR ADOPTION sY THE FEEDER.
AL GovERNMENT-FAIR FIRMS
TO BE ADVERTISED.

Importance of the American Fedora
tion convention at Toronto last week
is evidenced by the great interest
shown by local bodies. The Toron-
to Mail and Empire says:
That the members of the American
Federation of Labor convention take
their work very seriously was shown
yesterday by the patience with which
/ they sat through the readir.. of the
annual report of the executive coun-
Gil of the executive. This report
was read by Mr.. James Duncan, first
vice. president. 1t took about four
hours to go through it and much of
it was taken up with the routine
business of the past year. Yet a large
number of the delegates listened with
close attention during the whole ses-
sion. The executive recommended,
among other things, that the federation
should appeal against the Judgment
1rming the sentence of imprison-
ment against resident Gompers, Vice
President Mitchell and Secretary
Morrison. In this connection 1t pro-
nounced in vigorous fashion against.
the use Of injunctions in labor fights
and declared that 1t was improper
that judge should have power to
send anyone to jail for the disobe-
dience of an injunction unless the per-
son accused had had the benefit of
trial by jury. Old age pensions, in
dustrial education and the compensa-
tion of workmen in cases of accident
were the matters most strongly en-
nh In Tys.
the other subjects referred to will be
discussed at future meetings of the
convention.
Among the matters of routine bust
ness dealt with in the report was the
trouble In the IntercoloniaI Brother
hood of Electrical Workers, which
ended in a secession of a large section
of that union from the federation. The
report did not go into the causes of
disruption but explained fully the
action taken by federation officers to
overcome the dissension by which two
sets of international delegates had
been elected. Ir said that these
efforts were unsuccessful because
Mr. J. ]. Reid, the leader of the in
surgents, had proved frreconcilable,
thus laying all the blame on that
party. This is one section of the re-
port that will probably cause a |
heated discussion when 1T comes be-
fore the convention for consideration. |
Will Fight the Sentence.
I'VE recommend that an appeal be
taken from the decision rendered In
both the original injunction as well |
as the contempt case growing out of
it," The report said: 1--WE cannot |
permit these decisions to go unchal- |
lenged. They effect fundamental |
rights, and either the court or Con- |
gress must safeguard them.
I'VE again enter our protests
against the application of the writ of
'injunction in labor disputes-unless
where an injunction would lie If there
were no labor dispute.
I'VE hold that the use of the in
junction writ in contention between
workers and employers is an unwar-
ranted sextention of the equity power
of the court and an interference with
the rights and liberties OF the work
ers, especially when they are engaged
in struggle for improved working
conditions 1t is a fact, however, that
such injunctions are issued
Demand Trial by Jury.
In regard to committal for contempt
Of the court, the report said: ''We
hold that except where contempt is
In the presence of the court the lib
srty Of no citizen should be commit
ted to the keeping of any one man.
regardless of who he may be or what
position he may hold; on the con-
Lrary, we hold that citizen charged
with violating an injunction, the PEN
aity of which involves Imprisonment.
should have the same legtl right TO
! trial by jury that Is always accredit-
id to person charged with violation
II the criminal law. To deny the
light Of trial by jury is to take from
he people to protection and price,
ess herirages which were secured by
hem after centuries of perseverance.
truggle, sacrifice, exile and even
nartyrdom.'
Advertise Fair Firms.
IN regard to the I'VE Don't Patron
ze'' list, which caused the litigation
witch ended In the sentencing OF
dessrs. Gompers, Mitchell and Morri-
on, the report said:-"In view OF the
lecision OF the Supreme Court of the
United States holding our labor or
sanizations liable under the sherman
.nti thrust law, the Denver convention
ERECTED that the various national