New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-19
LABOR SPLIT ON POLICY
Two Reports to Federation on
industrial UnioniSm."
WILL BE DISCUSSED TO-DAY
Convention Votes Down Resolu.
ton to Bar Religious Topics
in the Future.

Rochester, Nov. 1s-The quest,o,
whether the American Federation :,
Labor is to adopt industrial unionisrr |,
place Of its present policy Of recogntz,r,
except in certain instances, the autonor.'
of trade or craft organizations Viu ).
discussed tomorrow. Near the close !,
this afternoons meeting the comml,,..
on education reported on a resolution 70,
the adoption of Industrial unionisn,
majority Of the committee voted for -.
rejection and minority favored indr,.
trial unionism, where practicable. and
where not practicable, a close federation
of trade unions for unified action.
The resolution was introduced BY job,
Mitchell, Duncan Mcdonald. John
White, Frank J. Hayes, William Green
and J. II. Walker, of the United MIN
Workers of America, and Is as follows.
Whereas, The lines are being ror.
closely drawn between capital and labor.
and,
Whereas, The capitalists of the country
have organized the National Manufact.
urers' Association and other large en-
ployers' organizations, compact cOhesiv.
bodies, having for their purpose the de-
struction of the trades union moveu1ers
and realizing that in unity there e
strength; therefore, be It
Resolved, That in order to combat these
compact and powerful organ!zatioIs OF
employers Of labor this cgnvep,ios
adopts and indorses the plan OF organlza.
ton by industries instead Of by crafts
which often divides the forces Of labor
and that the officers of the Amerfcss
Federation n I.lh no
every effort to bring this about and thai
they visit the different labor cOnventjons
and use their influence TO mould san,i.
ment along these lines. 80
The majority of the committee desired
to substitute for the resolution the sito.
nomy declaration of the Scranton con.
vention in 1901, which favored the reteu.
ton Of the policy of recognizing and
maintaining craft or trade autonomy IN
so far as it was compatible with modern
organization Of industry.
An hour Of the afternoon session was
given over to an address By Lewis T
Bryant, Commissioner of Labor of Nav
Jersey on the protection Of factory EN-.
ployes from accident and fire.
Resolutions adopted condemned the pr.
Vate detectives, said TO be used to break
strikes in West Virginia; favored the de-.
veiopment Of state universities along the
Wisconsin extension plan; commended the
movement for wider use of school build.
ings and urged their use for labor meet.
mSs; commended the work of the Ma.
tonal Conservation Congress and an
proved the participation by American
Federation Of Labor officers in its pro-
ceedngs.
Just before the close Of the session
President Gompers read clipping from
a newspaper in which he was quoted as
expressing satisfaction at the recent de-
feat for reelection Of Victor Berger, the
Milwaukee Socialist Representative. and
said:
The report IS absolutely untrue. I
have not directly or indirectly said or
intimated that I found satisfaction in the
defeat of Mr. Berger"
The first bomb of the convention came
when the resolutions committee reported
in favor Of excluding religious discussions
in future conventions, and recommended
that representatives Of all religious or
CARNATIONS be denied the use Of the con
venticn platforms. After long debate
the convention Overwhelmingly voted to
allow religious discussions.