The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1911-01-13

Vanced positions over nlght but that II
takes months and years of patient edu
cation and agitation to bring any clas'
of men to concerted thought and con
certed action. But the apparent ain
of this portion of the press to which
| it appear that there was schism in
the ranks of labor.
Another instance: at banquet given
by the unionists of st. Louis to the
visiting delegates, President Gomper:
was given the toast, "The American
Labor Movement" Mr.. Gompers, in
the course of his remarks referred to
the difficulties surrounding the move
ment in this country owing to the ad-
mixture of nationalities. In no other
country are they confronted with the
task of welding together men from the
various countries of the globe, the men
of each nationality bringing with them
their racial feelings and characteristics,
as they are here. Then he referred to
tn fact that there were eight million
negroes in the United States but little
more than half century removed from
slavery and that it was not to be eX-
pected that they would have the same
conception of their rights and duties
as other men of labor in America. Judge
of the indignation of the delegates to
read a glaring headline in next morn
ing's paper, "Gompers Reads the Negro
Out of the Labor Movement" 1t was
not possible for the reporter to have
misunderstood the remarks of Mr..
GOmpers as reporters for all the leading
dailies were present at the banquet and
it was too evidently an effort to mis-
represent. Mr.. Gompers bitterly re-
sented the injustice of the report and
replied publicly the following day as
follows: Instead of reading the negro
"out of the labor movement" my con-
tentiOn and the contention of the
American Federation of Labor is to try
to bring them into the organized labor
movement of our country. We are try
ing our level best, and will continue
to do so, to organize the men and VIM
en- of toll without regard to their re-
ligion, their politics, their nationality,
their sex or their race. could not
permit this entire day to pass by with
out thus publicly, in this convention
and in the presence of our visitors and
the representatives of the press, max
ing this correction. The papers printed,
it is true, Mr. Gompers' subsequent
statement, but what percentage of the
people who read the first report ever
saw the correction? How much mis-
representation of the aims and objects
of organized labor finds its way into
the public press and leaves it's false
impression on the public mind, only
the men so misrepresented, ever know
OPENING OF THE CONVENTION
The convention was called to order
in Liederkrantz Hall with approximate
ly 400 delegates and fraternal dele
gates in attendance. Mayor Kreisman
of st. Louis welcomed the delegates to
the city and dwelt upon the influence
for good organized labor in the city of
st. Louis had eXerted upon the civic
life. Owen Miller, president of the
Missouri State Federation of Labor,
welcomed the convention in behalf of
the unionists of the state and told of
the growth of the American Federation
of Labor in the following well chsen
words:
"Ths is a little more than twenty
years after the last convention of the
American Federation was held in the
city of st. Louis. Twenty-Five wears