The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1916-12-09
AMERICAN LABOR.
CONVENTION WAS
INSTRUMENTATION
BY DANTE BARTON.


economic development of the United
States. Probably too, in the political
development of the country. Under
a leadership that has dong proved it's
safety ;.- sanity, and has sometimes
been reproached as too conservative,
| the Federation assumed definitely the
| direction and leadership Of the move
! ment in America for industrial and
| economic justice President Samuel
Gompers in a soont> leOus notable ut
! terance, struck the :lote for funda-
| mental democracy in the economic
| field, when in brief review of the line
up Of the forces of wealth to crush the
labor movement, babe those forces be-
ware that they did not push labor too
! far.
Only day or two before the whole
| convention, without a dissenting voice,
| had declared that wherever the power
of injunction and compulsion was
! usurped by court or judge to throt-
! tie liberty, that usurpation of power
| should be ignored and disobeyed.
The words, and spirit and action of
the Convention were most significant
| when viewed with the surrounding
! circumstances of politics. economic
crises and world affairs.
| meeting the National Industrial Con-
ference, quite badly and boldly ex-
pressing the purpose Of $4,000 en-
ployers. eight billion dollars of capital,
and the mastery of seven million
| workers, chiefly unorganized and un
derpaid, to oppose and defeat all eff
! forts of all workers, organized or I'M
! organized, to better their economic
conditions by conscious control their
! own lives and means of livelihood.
That industrial conference had been
called together as the greater success
! sor to the discredited National Asso-
citation of Manufacturers.
Concurrently, also, was meeting in
Washington the Congressional Com
| mittee to investigate the railroads,
and the railroad question, and the
! wage equestion as affecting the rail-
roads and the transportation problem
The field for investigation and discus
sion by the Committee has laid the
| widest foundation for all industrial in
quiry. AS an incident, the interests
appearing before the Committee or
serving notice Of their appearance
were defining the industrial dispute
in clearer issue than has ever be-
fore ben defined.
At the same time also, the suit of
the railroad interests to nullify the
Adalnson Eight Hour law was de-
filming itself for presentation to the
United States Supreme court. That
suit was most deeply significant, as
illustrating again in critical time,
the unwillingness of great CONNER
cial and financial interests to abide
by the law, as expressed by the law
making body, and ratified by popular
vote. 1t exemplified the custom Of
those interests to resort to the judi
cial power for it's vote upon democra-
tic legislation. Another of the cir
cumstances among which the Con-
vention of the Federation was set was
the political victory for those domes-
tic moves toward democracy and
those policies of international rela-
tionships with which the labor move
| ment had just definitely and posi-
lively allied itself.
The Convention illustrated the
! drawing together of the labor forces
by the appearance before it Of the
chiefs of the four great brotherhoods
Of railroad employees. Practically
union or voluntary working agree
ment between the Federation and the
Brotherhoods was established or
given demonstration. incidentally to
that wider agreement, there was
formed during the Convention closer
cooperation between the brother
| hoods and those trades allied with
them in the transportation service
| that were already included within the
! Federation.
The Convention, in other words,
| displayed to the nation it's control OF
J the machinery or the instruments
| with which the workers and produc-
| ers of wealth are prepared to defend
! themselves against econmic oppres-
| sions of combined money or the poll
teal tyrannies which combined money
assumes the power to inflict. The in
strument or the machinery prepared
bv the labor movement for it's side in
whatever industrial struggle impends.
is made the more potent by the fact
that the supply, of workers is now re-
| stricted by world facts.
| So much was done by the Conven-
ton, that the Convention assumed
| the proportions of capable legisla-
| tive congress.
| It was, in fact, Layers legislative
! comment and Labor's legislative &C
! ton on the industrial facts disclosed
! by the United States Commission on
| Industrial Relations.
| The Convention, furthermore, de-
clared again Labor's opposition to
| militarism and to militaristic train
ing of young persons in the schools
! It ratified the steps already taken by
! the Federation to bring about inter-
I national peace and good internatlona!
understandings through cementing In
terna tional relationships of the work
ing classes. It not only ratified the
steps already taken, but made fur
Their steps forward as affecting es-
! pecially the United States and Mexico
| the South American Republic and ia
pan. With regard to Porto Rico, the
!! resolutions of the Convention demon
strated that the American labor
movement wished to extend Amer:
can protection to human rights
rather than to investments of capital
in neighboring countries and possess
| sions.
The many specific acts and resolu-
tons of the Convention can hardly be