The Cairo bulletin., 1910-01-03
FIGHT on STEEL
TRUST STARTS
OFFICERS OF AMERICAN Fedora.
Tlok or LABOR ISSUE CALL
FOR FUNDS.
SI54,oOo IS EXPECTED
From the 100000 Members on First
Call and Further Calls Will be
Made-Fieht VIII be
to Finish.

Washington, Jan. 2.--The officers OF
the American Federation of Labor to.
night issued call to the 1.140,000
members to subscribe to fund with
which bitter fight will be begun
against the United States Steel cor
poration, which, the call declares, is
inimical alike to the interests of labor
and to the country at large "a bold,
daring violator of laws" sum of
$154.000 will be raised by the first
appeal. and further calls will be Is
sued as the fight progresses.
Tonight's action is the result of last
months conference at Pittsburg be-
tween the Iron and Steel Plate Work.
efsi Longshofemen's ana Seaneil8
unions, and Goupers and other Off
GERS.
The call is signed by Gompers, Sec.
retary Morrison, James Duncan, John
Mitchell, James O'Connell, D. A.
Hayes, william D, Huber, Joseph F,
Valentine, John r. Alpine, H. B. Per.
ham and John B. Lennon, directors.
Subscriptions will be sent to John
Williams at Pittsburg.
In his statement, Gompers assails
the so-called steel trust" for aggres-
sions on labor, charges 1t with con.
spring against production, preventing
, an unmanipulated market, and striv-
ing for the elimination of the free
press.
He alleges that the corporations pay
on many millions of watered stock
and that Its financial methods are
corrupt and indefensible.
But, Gompers, continued, "the
crowning criminality" of the trust is
its attitude toward labor. He es-
pecially arraigns the so-called profit
sharing" plan, by which the company
gives its employees an opportunity to
obtain an interst in the vast bust
ness.
The plan, Gompers contends, is "a
transparent deceit through which j
small minority of the employees are
sought to be help In the daily sweat.
ing of vast majority" !
Gompers intimates that the profit
sharing employees are carefully select |
cd and are in nearly every case men
who are given to discouraging the
agitation OF their fellows for better
living and working conditions.
The Steel corporations Christmas
was reported as giving $l,000,000 in
gifts to the employees and offered both
common and preferred shares to em.
ployes at a little lower than Marquette |
quotations.
Among the counts brought by Comp
ers against the Steel corporation the
following are the principal ones:
Its control Of production is one OF
Its established features, constantly |
extolled as q merit by that portion
OF the press animated by Wall street |
motives. It's dividends are based upon
not only its invested capital but more
than one half billion watered stock. |
Its attorneys are notoriously pres
ent at or in every legislative body
from which privilege may be pur.
chased or an advantage In some form
be procured.
Its influence upon certain courts
presided over by notable examples Of |
judiciary has been shown by radical
notifications OF their unjust injunc.
tions speedily made by higher courts. |
Its close touch with certain in |
famous daily newspapers is exhibited |
upon every occasion when it is pos.
sible for the editors to choose be- |
tween prostrating themselves before
Its subsidy disbursers or standing up
to courageously defend common
rights.
Its systematic destruction OF an
open, honest market is shown by num-
berless methods. from pushing higher
an already superprotectivc tariff !,