Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-11-10
LABOR } LEADERS
IN CONVENTION
American Federation Holds An
nual Session at San
Francisco

San francisco, CAL, Nov. 8.-Pres-
entation of the annual report Of the
executive council featured the opening
day of the 35th annual convention OF
the American Federation of Labor,
which opened here today, for a two
weeks session. President Samuel
Gompers presented the report, which
pronounced the year past the most
momentous in the history of organ
lied labor and of extraordinary
stress for the labor movement, test
ing, as it had, it's very existence.
There is not a country, and there
is scarcely a relation in the common
life," says the councils report, that
does not show some effect of the ter
rible war that is being waged in Eu-
rope. From our present viewpoint
these effects are primarily d%estruct.
i've. Whatever of constructive value
shall come out of it all, will depend
upon the wisdom, the ability and tle
craftsmanship of the real statesmen
of the nations. But at present we
see customs, institutions, and the re.
lationships that are the result of years
of struggle and persistent effort to
realize ideals, swept away a'by the
great tide of destruction and lost in
the clash of arms, the smoke of the
battlefield, and in the terrors Of naval
warfare"
Peaceful Pursuits.
Describing the effects of the war
upon organized labor and American
customs and institutions, the report
deals at length with attempts by inter-
ests of belligerent European. nations
to interfere with the peaceful pur-
suit of American industries.
Some of these movements" it says,
"have been genuine, Others have been
created by individuals and interests
t:lat were really unneutral. These
movements have taken various forms,
some have tried to influence the pol
icies of the state and governmental
authorities Of u country; others
have tried to work upon public Opin.
ion, and still others have sought to
use the good name of our labor move
ment to further the interests of some
foreign country"
High Tribute.
"Eligh tribute was paid the working
men of the nation, through whose pa
triotism, tae report says, these plans
have persisted and the movements so
far have been futile.
"The efforts to Use the working
men of our country have been of two
the report continues, zone TO
get through them the endorsement of
the foreign policy to place an embar-
go upon so-called munitions of wa-,
the other has been to stir up industri.
al contentious and disputes and thus
interfere with the actual process of
production SO that products to be sen
abroad may ibe stopped. Foreign agen-
cies have been trying to corruptly
reach some of the organizations of the
workers, but they nave not succeeded.
There is nothing touching the indus
rrial and commercial life of America
is not of interest to the warning
nations"
Give Their Support.
The holding of a worlds labor con.
gress at the same time and place
that peace delegates meet, When the
war is ended, is recommended in the
as necessary in order to in.
the spirit of humanity and dem
lcracy into this political conference"
n order that the position of the Unit
I'd States working men in this regard
nay be fully representative of the
,ountry's unanimous voice of labor,
he report recommends that all inter.
rational unions be urged to give tle
)lan their support.