The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1911-01-27
REPORT OF E. p. MARSH EVERETT'S
DELEGATE TO A. F. of l.. CONVENTION

that it has not given its consent to
the issuance of the charter The con
stitutional provision quoted as bar
rier was adopted in the convention of
the A. +. of L. in the year 1900. The
following year the convention of the
\. F. of L. appointed special com.
mttee for the purpose of more clearly
defining the policy of our federation
upon the question involved That spe-
cial committee reported to the conven-
ton of 1891, and taat report was
adopted. That declaration of the 1901
convention contains the following:
I'VE realize that it is impossible to
define the exact line of demarcation
where one trade or form of labor ends
and another begins, and that no hard
and fast rule can be devised by which
all our trade unions can be governed or
can govern themselves.
eve emphasize the impossibilty of
establishing hard and fast lines; but if
history and experience in the labor
movement count for anything we urge
upon our fellow workmen that tolera-
ton and forbearance which are pro-
verbal of our movement; for, without
the recognition and application of these
qualities any decision we may formu-
late will be futile. We therefore rec
ommend as follows:
AS the magnificent growth of the
A. +. of l.. is conceded by all students
organization on trade lines, and be-
lieving it neither necessary nor expe-
dent to make any radical departure
from this fundamental principle, we
declare that, as general proposition,
the interests of the workers will be
best conserved by adhering as closely
to that doctrine as the recent great
changes in methods of production and
employment make practicable. How
few industries from thickly populated
centers where the overwhelming num-
Der follow one branch thereof, and ow-
ing to the fact that in some industries
comparatively few workers are engaged
| over whom separate organizations claim
jurisdiction, we believe that jurisdic-
ton in such industries by the para.
mount organization would yield the best
results to the workers therein, until
the development of organization of each
branch has reached stage wherein
| these may be placed, without material
injury to all parties in interest, in af-
filiation with their national trade
unions"
Then the declaration proceeds to
state that this declaration shall not
change decisions of the A. +. of l.. re-
9arding jurisdictional claims heretofore
made. That declaration of the 1901
convention has not been changed by the
A. f. of l.. 1t was a deliberate act of
the convention of the A. L. of L., and
fully conscious of the existence of Sec
ton III of Article of the constitution;
and in so far as that declaration is con-
cerned, it is a modification of and a
construction upon Section II of Article
of the constitution.
"The chair holds that it is for this
convention to determine the limitation
upon which charter may be issued
to the Western Federation of Miners
but that the point of order, as raised
by Delegate O'Connel is not sustained"
MIR. OConnel promptly appealed from
the decision of the chair and lost his
| appeal by vote of lac to As.
Andrew Furuseth then made the fol.
lowing motion:
That the whole question at issue be
referred to the Executive Council with
instructions to try to bring about an
amicable adjustment, to the end that
the Western Federation of Miners NAV
obtain a charter without overriding the
principles of the A. f. of L."
The motion of Delegate Furseth to
refer was carried on a roll call vote by
1892 to 7107-a majority of $50
votes. L am confident that charter
would have been granted then and there
without any jurisdictional strings at
tached to it whatever could we have
gotten vote on the Mine Workers
resolution. An analysis OF the roll call
vote on the motion to refer will bear
me out in that assertion. A vote to
refer to the executive council is always
a popular one, as it gives delegates, un-
decided in their opinions, or afraid to
vote contrary to the wishes of some in
fluential officers for fear of incurring
some form Of futi ,ra, ,,,ns.b,,on+ n !