The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-11-14
G0MPERS. MAKES
ANNUAL REPORT
President of American Fed
Grafton Makes an Ex-
haustive Review.

Atlanta. Ga. Nov. 13.-The Amer
lean Federation of Labor opened it's
annual convention here today. Presi-
dent Gompers read his annual report
at the afternoon session.
Tho most significant of the days
u~tteranceS was that of GOmpcrs, in
to the addresses of well
come by Governor Smith, Mayor Winn
and others, when he declared that he,
Secretary Morrison and Vice President
John Mitchell were ready to go to Jail
III defense OF labor's rights in event
the contempt sentence of Justice
Wright of the supreme court of the
District of Columbia was sustained.
All the contested delegates were
seated on recommendation of the Gre
dentials committee.
a delegation. representing the Inter-
national Car Workers. made a futile
effort to prevent the seating of dele
Carmen. Il rival organization. The at
tempt to shut out the delegates of the
socallcd McNulty faction of electrical
workers also failed, but few of the
delegates supporting the movement.
No signs of the threatened "insur-
gency' against the present admins
tration have appeared. although some
of the delegates predict opposition will
develop.
The federation voted unanimously
to instruct President Gompers to send
a message To the Mcnamara brothers,
in Jail at Los Angeles. that the men,
bers of the organization arc firm in
the belief that they arc innocent and
assuring them of their continued sup
port.
Atlanta. Ga. Nov. 13.-President
Samuel Gompers of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor. in his report sub
mittcd today to the delegates Of the
%1st annual convention. predicted
great changes in American methods of
government, particularly with regard
to political parties. He gave to the
referendum, initiative and the recall
the unqualified endorsement of or
ganized labor declared thai q real,
representative democracy had never
been known in the United States be-
cause Of the general absence of those
provisions.
This standardization of Judges"
he said in defense of his endorsement,
this sanctimonious can about mob
rule some of which was in President
Taft's message vetoing the Arizona
statehood bill. is mere drivel."
President Gompers' report, which
covers 90 closely printed pages and
would make moro than 30 columns in
Il newspaper. says it leaves many sub
jcctS 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 a%nti-injunc-
ton bills at the next session of con.
gross.
Restriction of immigration.
Further restriction of convict labor.
Legislation. to relieve civil service
employees from the executive orders
prohibiting them to petition congress.
Uniform laws for protection of life
and health in factory buildings.
=. department of labor in the federal
government.
Employers liability and workmen's
compensation acts throughout the
states.
Severe arrangement is made of So
Eciency systems.
With its membership now more than
100000. the greatest in it's history.
II its financial condition excellent,
the organization often called the great
est altruistic institution offthe times
enters the %thirty-tirst year of its
work.
Despite all opposition of the most
relentless kind the American labor
movement grows and thrives: its be-
inefficient influence for the common up
lift of labor and all our people extends
to all fields of useful activity and is
becoming more generally recognized
The power which labor holds within
its grasp is understood by our oppo.
hcnts better than many Of the toilers.
The fact is that labor's opponents,
#! IyE.N tl, Trtstr~ &c xl. ,~--k
whom are still with us, are afraid ia
trust h people.
With power in the hands of labor
and of the people generally comes a
Iuickrning sense of responsibility,
n though errors arc liable to occur
they bring experience. and an avoid
ancr of recurrence. The errors or en-
croachments Of the few or of an auto
crat teach them no lessons and are
How perfectly safe freedom is. is a
truth not yet fully understood" said
the report.
"l.ab0r'S contentious of many wears
have become merged. or have co-or-
dinatcd with those of the progressive
OF all parties. The people as a whole,
irrespective of class. conditions, call
ing or partisan alignment have de-
clarcd for freedom in fact, and not
merely in name. They are taking az
fairs political into their own hands.
They will no longer tolerate the sale
of legislation to the highest bidder or
the granting of franchises to the rich
est bride givcr. Under the coming
regime. assurcdly there arc to be no
more court DEGREES entered as pre-
pared i'll advance and ordered by the
attorney for the stronger party
stronger politically and financiallv.
'In lien pf tlc nolitjc,l h,Se ,,l ~.
machine. we shall have leadership of
intelligence. pleading for public JUS
ticc. with adherence proportioned in
number the strength OF the arguments.
The stuffed ballot-hoX. the false count.
and the perjurcd election return will
likewise disappear With these oppor-
tuntties. with those stimulating in
JUDGEMENTS to free thought and action,
the cause of public justice will BE- ad.
vanced in all directions. Labor. act.
Ing from the point of enlightened self
interest. n yet with a full sense of
responsibility respecting the Just rights
of all others in society. will manfully
and periodically meet it's enlarged re.
sponsibilities.
Under the prevailing system of cut
and dried platforms and slated non,-
nations. preceded by fake primaries.
the ballot III our hands has not been,
In any adequate sense. either IL pro-
tecting shield against wrong or a
means of redress. We may not for
some time he entirely rid of the rule
of parties. If they he an evil, they
arc such as are incident TO all gov
ernmcnts based on popular suffrage,
! deem 1t unwisc. or rather impolitic.
to waste our energies now in efforts to
abolish political parties. Perhaps they
are institutional in all free govern
ments. But il VIC cannot now destroy
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