The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1912-01-06


American Federation of Labor orig
mated in a meeting held in Terre
Haute. Ind. on Aug. and 8, 1881,
of call for a convention to be held
in Pittsburg, opening on Nov. IS,
1881. The call adopted by the pre-
!iminary national convention, held at
Terre Haute, invited "all information
al and national unions, trades assem-
blies or councils and local trades or
labor unions to send, delegates to an
international trades union congress to
be held in Pittsburg, Pa, on Tuesday,
Nov. Is, 1881. Each local will be en-
titled to one delegate for 100 members
CT less and one additional delegate
for each 500 member or major part
thereof; also one delegate for each in
ternational or national union and one
delegate for each trades assembly or
council" Those who signed the call
We're J. E. Coghlin, president National
Tanners and Curriers' Union; Rich
ard Powers, president Lake Seamen's
union; Lyman A. Brandt. Internation-
al Typographical union; P. ]. Nc
CURE, St. Louis Trades and La Dor as
sembly; T. Thompson, Ironmolders'
union, Dayton, Ohio; George w. o.
oorn, Ironmolders' union, Springfield.
Ohio; w. C. Pollner, Cleveland Trades
assembly; Sam L. Leffingwell, Indian
apolis Trades assembly; J. r. Backus,
Terre Haute Amalgamated Labor
union.
Printer In Chair.
Lyman A. Brandt, Detroit, Mich,
representing the Typographical union.
called the meeting to order and an
nounced that the first business would
he the election of temporary chair
man. John Jarrett, president of the
Amalgamated Association of Iron and
Steel Workers, was elected temporary
chairman by reclamation, and Mark
l.. Crawford, H. H. Gengough and
William c. Pollner were elected as
secretaries for the convention.
After the credential committee had
been appointed and retired to make
up its report the convention went into
an informal meeting for the purpose
of listening to addresses on the sub
ject of labor and any remarks which
any of the delegates desired to make.
Among those who spoke during this
interim was Samuel Gompers of the
Cigarmakers' union.
There were at this convention 107
delegates.
Gompers Was Recommended.
1t appears that the committee on
permanent organization had recon-
mended Samuel Gompers for perma-
nent president of the organiza ton :;
but. there being a rivalry, those who
opposed Mr.. Gompers, so it is claimed,
mad an article inserted in the Pitts
burg Commercial Gazette the night
before the committee was to make it's
report. Mr.. Gompers requested that
an excerpt from this article be read
before the convention, which was
done. 1t is of SO much interest that
the excerpt is hereby inserted:
The latter, (Mr. Gompers) is the
leader of the Socialist element, which
is pretty we'll represented in the con-
gress, and one of the smartest men
present. 1t Is thought that an at
tempt will be made to capture the
organization for Mr.. Gompers (for
permanent president) as the repre-
sentative of the Socialists, and if such
an attempt is made, whether it sue
ceeds or not, there will likely be some
lively work, as the delegates opposed
to socialism are determined not to be
controlled by it. If the Socialists do
not have their way they may bolt, as
they have always done in the past. If
they do bolt the power of the pro-
posed organization will be SO serious
~ crippled as almost to destroy its
usefulness
Contest for President.
There were two reports from the
permanent organization committee,
both recommending different individ-
! uals for the various offices. AS stated
above, Mr.. Gompers had been rec
| commended by one committee as per-
| manent chairman, while the other
! committee recommended Richard
Powers. However, Mr.. Gompers and
I Mr.. Powers withdrew their names az
| candidates for the chair In favor of
Mr.. Jarrett, who had been elected the
| temporary chairman. Samuel Gompers
and Richard Powers were unani-
mously elected vice presidents. The
temporary secretaries, Mark L. Craw-
ford, Fl. H. Bengough and William c.