The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1910-01-07
funds FOR FIGHT
TAg AMERICAN FEDERATION Or
LA0oR Will FIGHT THE
Steel TRUST
SlH.OOO ON FIRST CALL
AllL Dc CONTRIBUTED ~ THE
$4,000 MEMBERS OF
FEDERATION

ee0GUA ON
washinerca. Jan i-C0cers Of the
American Federation Of Labor to-
night issned . call to the l.S4o. zoo
members TO subscribe to . fund with
vhicA . bitter fight WIN BE begun
against the United States steel cor
poratson. vhicA. the cali declares. Il
irtnical alike to the interests Of Ia
ooe and 70 the country IT large. and
. bold and daring violator Of the
lava The sum Of Sls4.0oe Vim be
raised BY the ara appeal. further Ap-
peais 70 b issued n the light pro-
greasea 5
Tonight's action Il the result Of last
months conference II P1stsburg te-
twen the iron. steel and tin plate
vorkers- and the longshoremen and
seAmenfs unions. and Gompsrs and
ether o0eerA
The call 10 xigned BY Gompers. Sec
rstAry Morrison. James Duncan. John
Mitchell. James O'ConneIl. d. A.
Hayes William D. Huber. Joseph r.
valenstne. John r. Alpine. II. B. Per-
ham and John b. Lennon. direcfora
Subscriptions win oe sent C John
Williams. ~ Pittsburg.
In his statement Gomrers assails
TIE so-called steel trust. for aggres-
sions on labor. charges II with con-
spring against production. preventing
a unmanipuiated market and striv-
ing for elimination of q free press He
alleges the corporation gays dividends
On many millions OF wafered stock,
and that tt financial methods IRE
corrupt and i~ndefensible-
But Gonpers continues, the crown
Ing eriminalisy" OF the trust is tt
attitude toward labor. He especially
arraigns the so-called "proAt-sharing"
plan. BY which the company gives en-
rloyes an opportunity TO obtain an
interest In the vast business
This plan, Conpers contends. IL a
transparent deceit through which q
small minority Of the employees are
sought TO b. bribed to help In the
daily sweating Of the vast majority"
Gompers intimates that the profit
sharing employees are carefully select
ID and are In nearly every case men
VIE are given to discouraeinz agita-
tion BY their fellows for better living
and working conditions.
The steel corporation o Christmas
va reported to have given 81. 900, 200
in gifts o employees. and TO nave
offered both common and preferred
stock - its employees ut . little low
er than market quotations.
Among the counts brought BY Com
psrs against the steel corporation the
following are the principal ones:
Its control OF production Is one
Of its established features constantly
extoIled ~ . merit BY that portion Of
the press Animated By Wall street mo-
ttves.
Its dividends are based not only
upon Its invested capital. but upon
more than one half billion of water
ed stock.
Its attorneys are VIGOROUSLY pres
emit at or in every legislative body
from which privilege may be purchas-
Cd or advantage In some form gained.
Its influence upon certain courts
presided over BY notable examples OF
the judiciary has been shown by rad
icAl notifications OF their unjust in
functions speedily made by the higher
courts.
Its close touch with certain in
famous daily newspapers is exhibited
upon every occasion when 1t IL pos
sible for the editors 70 choose be-
tween prostrating themselves before
Its subsidy disburSers or standing up
to courageously defend the common
rights.
Its systematic destruction Of an
open honest market shown by num-
berless methods. from pushing high
er an already super-profec'fve tariff
against a contrary public opinion 70
the crushing out of rivals in any
branch OF industries upon which It
enters"
Gompers declares there can be no
let MP IN the fight until the steel
trust changes its present hostile at
titude."
Washington, Jan. Tn an AMIGA
bic adjustment OF differences hetw en-
northwestern railroads and their
switchmen In not reached through the
mediation conference here the strike
win spread and probably 20. 200 men
become involved" declared II. B. Per
ham. head Of the railway department
Of the American Federation OF Labor
today.
This increase viii Include freishf
handlers. boiler makers and such af-
associations. The switrhmen
are for peace II possible. but sre d.
termined on . general strike II the
plans for mediation fail"
Perham added. however. that was
hopsfd o. q peaceful settlement and
will resume the conferences with the
board Monday.
No decision was reAched BY the
hoard on rejection Of
third arbitrator in lee OF . dispute
between the IllinoI1 sCsntral and it,
III,
Pfftahur1 Ian 1-VrlnAn1A Cihsnn