The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-11-13
GOMPERS
GIVES REPORT
To American Federation Of La
Dor at Atlanta
HE ENDORSED REFERENDUM
-------
Characterized President Taft's Statement
Regarding "Mob Rule" Sanctimoni-
GUS Cant and Also "Mere
Drivel."

This Standardization of judges he
said in defense of his endorsement. "this
sanctimonious cant about mob rule,
none of which was in President Taft's
message vetoing the Arizona statehood
bill, is mere driveln
President Gompers report, which
covers SO closely printed pages aud
would make more than 30 columns in
newspaper, says it leaves many sub
jeets untouched or inadequately pre-
scented.
In the main, the report declares for,
and says organized labor Demands
The referendum, the initiative and the
recall
Passage Of the so-called anti.iniunc-
ton bills at the next session OF Con-
gress.
Restriction of immigration.
Further restriction of convict labor.
Legislation to relieve civil service EN-.
ployees from the executive orders pro-
hibiting them TO petition Congress.
Uniform laws for the protection OF
life and health in factory buildings,
A department of labor in the federal
government.
Employers liability and workmen's
compensation acts throughout the states
Severe arraignment is made of So
called scientific management or efficiency
systems.
With its membership now more than
l,750,000, the greatest in its history and
its financial condition excellent, the or
ganization often called the greatest al
truistic institutions of the times enters
the thirty-frst year of its work.
Despite all opposition of the most re-
lentless kind the American labor move
ment grows and thriyes; its benefeent
influence for the common uplift of labor
and of all our people extends to all
fields of useful activity and Is beeom.
ing more generally recognized The
power which labor holds within its grasp
is understood by our opponents perhaps
better than many Of the toilers. The
fact is that labor's opponents like the
Tories Of the past. many of whom are
still with us, are afraid TO trust the peo-
Pile.
with power in the hands Of labor
and OF the people generally comes a
quickening sense of responsibility. And
though errors are liable to occur, they
bring experience, and an avoidance of
recurrence. The errors or encroachments
of the few or of an autocrat teach them
no lessons and are reetifed only by the
peoples revolt. How perfectly safe free
dom is, is truth not yet fully under
stood" said the report
"Labor's contentious Of many years
hn ha.r H..
ordinated with those Of the progressive
of all parties The people as whole,
irrespective of class, conditions, calling
or partisan alignment, have declared for
freedom in fact, and not merely in name.
They are taking affairs political into
their own hands. They win no longer
tolerate the sale Of legislation to the
highest bidder or the granting Of fran
chises to the richest bride giver. Under
the coming regime, assuredly there are
to be mo more court DEGREES entered as
prepared in advance and ordered by the
attorney for the stronger party-strong-
err politically and financially.
''Tn lieu Of the political boss and his
machine, we shall have leadership of in
telligence, pleading for public justice,
with adherence proportional in number
to the strength of the arguments. The
stuffed ballotbox, the false count, and
the perjured election returns will like
wise disappear. With these opportnni-
ties, with these stimulating inducements
to free thought and action, the cause
of public justice will be advanced in all
directions. Labor, acting from the point
of enlightened self-interest, and yet with
a full sense of responsibility respecting
the just rights of all others in society
will manfully and periodically meet its
enlarged responsibilities.
Under the prevailing system OF cut
and dried platforms and slated nomi-
nations, preceded by fake primaries, the
ballot in our hands has not been, in any
adequate sense, either protecting shield
against wrong or means of redress.
We may not for some time be entirely
rid of the rule of parties. If they be
an evil, they are such as an incident to
all governments based on popular suf-
frage. | deem it unwise, or rather inn
polite, to waste our energies now in
efforts to abolish political parties. Per-
haps they are institutional in all free
governments. But if we cannot now de-
stroy them, we may, by more assiduous
and regular exercise of our privileges
and rights of citizenship do much in the
way of controlling them.
"Under existing conditions, we must
obtain various measures of legislation
at the hands OF dominant parties in leg
islatiye bodies, and if party affairs are
to remain in the hands of corporate
agents and corrupt bosses as heretofore,
then our interests viii be imperiled and
the desired relief retarded, no matter
which party has the majority"
Mr. Gompers refers very briefly to the
contempt of court proceedings against
Vice President John Mitchell, Secretary
Morrison and himself, which are still
pending before the courts in the District
of Columbia.
The Mcnamara case, however, is taken
up at some length and fully reviewed.
President Gompers expressed his faith
in the innocence of the men now on trial
at Los Angeles for alleged dynamiting
outrages and denounces in unmeasured
terms their removal from Indiana to
California.
The Wilson bill, now pending in Con-