Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-11-10
REMARKABLE PROGRESS
| OF UN|ON|SM SHOWN
President Samuel Gompers Predicts
Steady Advance to Goal Of Three
Million in Annual Report.
CONGRESS GETS RAPED FOR
ATTITUDE ON DEPARTMENT
Says Living Wage For All Employed
In An Industry Should Be First
Consideration, He Says.

SJTucllNe legislation TO DeneIlt tne more
than 100000 members of the A. F. of
L. and allied organizations, was urged
in the report of President Samuel Com
pers and executive council of the Fed
Grafton presented to the Thirty.third
annual convention today.
Picturing the labor movement as one
of practical idealism, dealing with the
raw stuff of life, and branding indus
trial arrangements as cruel and heart
less in self-interest, the report shows
remarkable progress of unionism in
the past year. The membership has pas
sed the 100000 mark, and President
Gompers predicted steady advance to
the new goal of 100000. The FEEDER
alton closed its fiscal year with bal
ance Of $lO5,063.05 after receiving in
its thirty-three years existence $685.,
334.45 and expending $2,777,271.4O. Of
ficial membership of the Federation and
allied bodies was placed at 2,O54,526, an
increase of 213, ,25S in the last ,-ear, with
total of 322 charters. Nine hundred
and sixty nine strikes have marked
labor's war against capital in the past
year, involving 294,236 persons, ben
efitting 1s6,644, and costing $S,464,.
1851 to sustain members on strike
Labor's defense fund received from
local trade and federal labor unions
in the past year, $1S,2l4.7O.
House and Senate Approved.
Improvement in membership of the
house and Senate Judiciary committees
was noted with the retirement of many
members of "Uncle Joe Canon S
morgue" and the infusion of fresh
blood in Congress. Members of the
Federation were urged to use their in.
fluenco to get passage Of pending in.
| junction limitation bills, and workman Is
compensation committee reported pro-
gress in framing measures for more ex'
tensive and fairer compensation acts
than onw exist. Warning was sounded
against the impending influenced i'm
migration to the Pacific coast with the
opening Of the Panama canal, and its
resultant low rates of passage.
Congress was censured for its atti.
tude on the Department of Labor. In
this respect the report said, in part;
awe cannot too strongly condemn the
niggardly, pieayunish policy of Con.
gress in dealing with the only Depart.
ment entrusted with promoting the well
fare of the wage.earner." A bureau
of labor safety and museum Of safety
appliances were advocated in section
which said; Competition has been so
merciless, and organizations Of eorpor.
ations so heartless, that human interests
have been sacrificed in the struggle
for profits" Creation of a federal
bureau of health was forseen in the
attitude of Congress and the decrease
Of opposition, from special interests
which hitherto have fought the estab.
lishment Of such an organization
To Get More Congressman
That the Federation proposes to car.
ry on n vigorous campaign for moro
labor representation in the next Con.
gressional campaign, was evidenced in
the report Of the labor representation
committe, which asked that the com.
mittee, be authorized to collect volun,
tary subscriptions from individual mem.
bers of the Federation. No recon.
mendations were inclosed with the re-
port on the general status of eight-hour
bills.
Members were urged to petition their
Senators for support of the Booher bill,
opposing convict labor and scheduled
for consideration in the new session Of
Congress This measure, it was pointed
out in the report, has passed the Lower
House three times, but has always been
waylaid" in the Senate. Coming out
strongly in favor Of minimum wage leg
islation for women and children, the
report declared;
For Living Wages