The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-02
ORGANIZED LABOR
CALLED To BATTLE
Official Appeal to Members of
Federation to Fight the
Steel Trust.
CORPORATION DENOUNCED
AS VI0LAT0R OF LAWS
Big Fund to Be Raised at Once,
and Further Contributions
VIII Be Made.

WASHINGTON. Jan. 1.-Oficcrs or
the American Federation OF Labor to-
night issued a call on its / $40, 900 NOM
bers to subscribe to a fund with which
10 wage a fight on the "Steel Trust. -
The call arraigns the corporation as
inimical both to labor and the coun'
try and as violator of the laws;
The sum Of $l50000 is to be raised
at once,
The corporation is termed n bold
and daring vioator OF the laws Calls
for more money will be issued as the
fight progresses.
Highest Officials Act.
This action was taken following the
conference in Pittsburg on December
l3 and IA between the Amalgamated
Association of Iron and Steel Workers,
the Tin Plate Workers Protective as.
sociation and the Longshoremcn' s and
Seamen s union. Samuel Gompers,
president of the American Federation
OF Labor, was present. The call is
signed by Mr., Gompers, Frank Nor,
rison, secretary of the federation, and
James Duncan, John Mitchell, James
O'Connell, d. 4, Hayes, William D.
Huber, Joseph f. Valentine, John r.
Alpine, II. B. Perham and John B.
Lennon, directors Although the APP
peal is made by the federation, the
funds will not be turned into the fed
Grafton this year All subscriptions are
TO be sent to John Williams, who has
ing, Pittsburg
In his statement Mr.. Gompers assailed
the steel corporation for its aggressions
on labor and charges 1T with conspiring
against production, manipulating the
market and striving TO eliminate free
press. He also charged that the cor
poration pays dividends on many mil
lions of watered stock and that its f.
nancial methods are corrupt and inde-
fensible.
Attitude Worst Crime.
''The crowning criminalitys of the
trust is its attitude toward labor, -
said Mr.. Gompers in arraigning the so
called ''profit sharing plan, by which
the company gives its employees an
opportunity TO obtain an interest in the
vast business,
'rThis PLAN Mr.. Gompers said "Js
a transparent deceit through which q
small minority of lis employees are
sought to be bribed to help in daily
sweating the vast majority
The steel corporation at Christmas
was reported TO have given away one
million dollars in gifts to its employees
and to have offered both the common
and preferred stock to those who cared
to invest in them at little lower than
the market quotations.
Among the charges brought by Presi-
dent Gompers against the steel corpora
ton are these:
Other Charges Made.
"Its control of production is one of
its principal (the corporations 50 estab
lished features, constantly extolled as
d merit by that portion of the press
animated by Wall street motives,
.'1ts dividends are not based only
upon its capital. but more than half a
billion of watered stock,
"lts attorneys are notoriously pres
ent at or in every legislative body from
which privilege may be purchased or
advantage procured.
"1ts influence upon certain courts
has been shown by the radical modifi
cations of their unjust iniunctions
speedily made by higher courts
Its close touch with certain infa
nous daily newspapers is exhibited up
on every occasion when it is possible
for editors to choose between prostrat-
ing themselves before its subsidy dis
bursers OF courageously defending com
mon rights.
''Its systematic destruction of an
open and honest market is shown in
numberless ways; from pushing higher
an already super protective tariff
against public opinion TO crushing out
of rivals in any branch of the industry
upon which it enters.