Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-11-08
LABOR DELEGATES
OPEN CONVENTION
At SAN FRANCISCO
Chiefs and Hundreds OF Representa-
tires Pouring Into City TO At
tend Meeting.
yaKE ANNUAL REPORT TO-DAY
necuments Tell Of Efforts Made ia
Cause Unrest Among the
Workers.

San Francisco. Nov. 8.-T.abor
chiefs and hundreds Of delegates rep
resenting more than two million or
eanized laboring men of the United
states we're here today for the OPEN
Ing session of the 35th annual con-
vention OF the American Federation Of
Labor which is to continue for two
weeks Samuel Gompers, president OF
the organization, was present to open
the convention.
In addition 10 the regular delegates.
frsternal delegates from Canada.
Great Britain and possibly from ia
pan we're to participate in the DELHI
eratio1s Of the convention.
At Exposition Grounds.
The opening session today was to
be held in the California building at
the Papama-Pacific exposition, where
official recognition Of the organization
was 90 be accorded by exposition off,
Gals
The business to be transacted today
was limited, including only the report
Of the committee on credentials. the
appropriation OF various committees
and tine submission, in printed form, of
the reports Of the officers and mem
bers Of the executive council.
President Samuel Gompers present
ed the report which pronounced the
year past the most momentous in the
history of organized labor and one Of
extraordinary stress for the labor
movement testing as it had its very
existence.
Show Effect Of War.
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
ribIs var that is being waged in Eur
ope. From our present viewpoint
these effects are primarily destructive.
Whatever of constructive value shall
come ont Of it all, will depend upon the
wisdom. the ability and the statesman
ship Of the real statesmen Of the ma
tons But at present we see customs,
Institutions, and the relationship that
are the result Of years of struggle and
persistent effort to realize ideals, swept
away by the great tide of destruction
and lost in the clash Of arms, the
smoke OF the battlefield, and in the ter
rors Of naval warfare"
Describing the effects Of the war
upon organized labor and American
customs and Institutions, the report
deals at length with attempts by IN
terests Of belligerent European ma.
tons TO interfere with the peaceful
pursuit Of American industries
Some Of these movements" it says.
have been genuine. others have been
created by individuals and interests
were really unneutraL These move
ments have taken various forms; some
have tried TO influence the policies OF
The state and governmental author
tiles Of our country; others have tried
10 work upon public opinion and still
others have sought to use the good
Lame of our labor movement 10 further
the interests Of some foreign country.
High tribute was paid the working
? men Of the nation through whose pa
triotism. the report says. these plans
have persisted and the movements so
FAR have been futile
Try TO Stir Up Disputes.
"The efforts TO use the workingmen
Of our country have been Of two
kinds. the report continues, zone 10
get through them the endorsement Of
lhe foreign policy TO place an embargo
upon so-called munitions Of war. the
other has been to stir up Industrial
contentious and disputes and thus in
terfere with the actual process Of