Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1910-12-29
corrects Some MISREPRESENTATION
Made in Globe-Democrat Of
ST. Louis, Mo.
Says He Never Tried to Get laps,
ChinI<s and Other Asiastics Into
A. F. of L., In Letter Sent
to {. e. Tharp Of
BeIIaire. 14

intruding on you at this season OF the
year; for my purpose is to set myself
right with you and all of the organ
izers of the American Federation OF
Labor; who have in and out of season
generously responded to any and all
requests made by me in the past, and
don't care to have you or any OF
them carry the impression that Jere
L., is such fellow as the Globe
Democrat of st. Louis, Mo-, tries to-
make me out. In the issue of the
Globe Democrat of Nov. 9th, 1910,
front page, appears an article relative
to the last days proceedings of the
A. F. of L. convention; in the latter
portion of the said article am made.
to appear as favoring the organiza-
ton of Chinks, Japs and Asiatic labor
generally, in another portion of the
same article, l am alleged to have
been engaged in a controversy with
Andrew Gallagher delegate from the
San Francisco, Calf, Labor Council,
and that, delegate Gallagher hurled
across the convention floor, the state
ment that he would see Sullivan in
hell first, before he would attempt to
organize and affiliate with Chinks,
Japs and other Asiatic labor. All of
the latter portion of the Globe-Denio.
crat article is at variance with the &C
tual happenings on the floor of the
convention.
Briefly the story as it should have
been printed is as follows:
At the conclusion of the reading OF
supplementary report of the Execu-
tive Council, Delegate Feeney moved
that the report as read be adopted,
that copies be furnished to the local
press of st. Louis and the Associated
Press, and that the American Fedora
ton of Labor request that as much
publicity be given 70 it as was given
to the statement attributed to Presi-
dent Gompers, the motion was second
ed, and l asked and secured recogni-
ton, and in substance said: Il am
sorry that Delegate Feeney did not in
clude all Press Associations, as I re-
gard the supplementary report of the
Council as something that should go
broadcast. Delegate Feeney interrupt
ed by saying ne was willing to include
my suggestion in his motion; still re-
tanning the floor l continued to ad-
dress the convention, and in substance
said: that as the supplementary re-
port contained statement or an in
vitation in the words of the report
which read I'm view of all this we
recommend that the convention shall
again reiterate it's oft repeated de-
claration that the American Fedora
tion( of Labor, in it's endeavor to or
ganize all the toilers of our country
so as to protect and : advance their
rights and interests, KNOWS NO
RACE, NO COLOR, NO CREED. NO
NATIONALITY, NO POLITICAL
PARTY, that I for one would like to
see injected in the aforesaid report,
something that would qualify the in
vitation; that, according to the final
portion, Chinks, Japs, and other Asia
tics. might accept that closing. as
direct invitation to them to make ap-
plication for charters; that as mat
ter Of fact there were quite number
of Asiatics on the Pacific Coast, who
had already assumed that they were
entitled to recognition; and this, too,
despite the repeated and unqualified
declaration of the A. F. of L. on
Chinese and Japanese exclusion. When
had finished my remarks, Delegate
Gallagher of San Francisco, took the
floor, and he followed in about the
same vein that had covered, and re-
cited an instance where a body of
Japs had appeared in his Office seeking
to obtain consideration, and declaring
they wanted to make application for
charter. Gallagher advised them that
they could not secure charter from
the A. F. Of L.; whereupon the leader
of the Jap outfit read OF the identi-
call of very nearly SO, words that
closed the supplementary report of the
Executive Council, saying that the A
F. of Z. gave publicity TO /, general
invitation to al. races, yet declined to
make good when called upon to do so.
1t seems to me that Andrew Fureseth
of the Seamen's Union followed Dele
gate Gallagher and then w. B. Wilson;
the latter making statement that
caused Gallagher to ask question.
and it was then that Gallagher made
his now famous retort relative to he'll.
But that ret0rt was not made to me,
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