The Washington times., 1916-11-12
Union Men Pouring Into City
+ From Every Section Of
! Country Today.
PLANS BEING COMPLETED
Hundreds Of Resolutions, Bear
ing on Various Phases, to
Be Offered for Passage.

BALTIMORE. Nov. 12-From all parts
of the United States. delegates today
to the Federation of Labor convention,
which will open tomorrow morning In
the Garden Theater here. are arriving
today.
President Gompers, Secretary Morri-
SON. and other Officers spent the morn
Ing whipping into shape a progrom for
the opening session.
Hundreds of resolutions bearing on
all phases Of the labor union move
ment and Industrial conditions in gen.
eral will be offered, and most Of them
will be automatically referred to COM
The Federation has s.o7s.7os workers
AFFILIATED with its AN local unions.
New trades will he, admitted at this
session II they comply with conditions.
growth Of pSa trade Gvt Of hs
be taken up. The difficulties in dealing
with Industries which employ large
numbers of women will be taken up
sS s large orS. Fund will nS be Sst
women in the trades.
H. Goslin, Of England. and W.
Whiteford, Of Canada. have arrived as
fraternal delegates to the convention.
are expected to be REPRESENTED. Labor
conditions in Mexico will be discussed
together with the federation's efforts
TO prevent war between that country
and the United States.
An elaborate program OF entertain
mont for the visitors has been mapped
out. The sessions OF the convention
win continue for two weeks and VIII tha
building trades council.
Delegates Arriving.
with the steady arrival of dele
gator the lobby of the, Rennert Hotel
has become q clearing house for plans
by which 1t IL hoped to make the two
weeks that begin tomorrow morning
fruitful Of more benefits to- organ
Used labor in the United States than
any previous convection period.
Discussions among men highest In
the councils of organized labor dis
closed that the principle OF Industrial
organization as disunguishea from
ceive more impetus at this conven-
ton than ever before.
Industrial organisation IL the IDEAL
Of the Ameriaan Federation. II means
the CELEBRATION. as far as possible. Of
dividing lines between unions OF men
engaged in the same industry, but In
different branches of work. For In
stance. II means the uniting OF all
workers in a factory under one head.
instead of, having them belong to
different unions. u
Craft Pride Was Deterrent.
In the past. craft jealousies. the pride
Of each particular. workman in his own
line. has prevented the success of pro-
ponents of Industrial organization in
the American Federation of Labor.
Furthermore. the obliteration OF some
lines Of division between unions would
mean the loss OF good executive Jobs to
certain labor leaders. Consequently, de-
velopment along that line has been
slow.
A resolution calling for broader lines
Of organization undoubtedly will be
offered at the convention. and gossip
has II that II will receive more atten-
ton than It has in the past, The action
OF the metal trades department of the
federation in refusing on Friday to
grant a charter to new International
shipfitters' union, on the ground that
shipftters should Join the boilermakers'
TO A i%,i ssnif ndsa expected when the
offset pressmen ask the convention for
an international charter. 1t is con-
tended in some quarters that the Offset
pressmen should properly belong to the
lithographers' union, because the work
they do Is similar to the work of
photographer. But the Offset pressmen
charter. With too many small units,
. big organization men contend, the
power OF the employer to render strikes
impotent Is increased.
Executors Want More Power.
One revolutionary ideai that may be
realized, however, at this convention
10 that the American Federation of
Labor should he mandatory instead
OF 4 voluntary body. Obedience to the
orders of the Executive Council being
purely voluntary, has been the chief
distinction between the Federation
And organizations like the Industrial
workers of the World, which rules
its members with rod of iron.
Federation men have pointed to that
distinction with pride, but a belief
is arising that the growth of labor
bodies antagonistic In principle to the
federation has become alarmingiy
done TO make the federation stronger
lieve, is to make the penalty of dis
obedience to the orders of the ex-
eoutive Council Immediately expulsion
from the federation.
The executive council, headed by
President Samuel Gompers, was in
session yesterday In preparation for
the convention opening tomorrow
morning at the Garden Theater. Ac-
oording to Secretary Frank Morrison,
only. routine business was trans
acted.
A special feature OF the opening
session will be the appearance OF
Helena Peat, the American soprano.
who Is at present making her home in
Baltimore. Miss Peat will sing the
municipal anthem, Baltimore, Our