The Connecticut labor press., 1919-12-20
WAR DECLARED
 AGAINST EFFORT TO ENSLAVE LABOR
Samuel Gompers Voices Defiance to the Powers Now Promoting
 Industrial Slavery.
NEW BILL OF RIGHTS
Immensely Important Conference at Washington Unites on List
 of Grievances and Protests.
(Bv Staff COrresboudeut.)

w WaSIlnSCOIl, U. A., D6C. 1S.- LdDOI :, Its Grievances, Protests and Demands" :" adopted in Washington December 13 by officials of all national and international unions, the four railroad brotherhoods and farmers organizations and the ex- ecutive council of the American Federal ton of Labor. constitute the ''Worllers' Bill of Rights" which will be fought by organized wage earners with the great est earnestness.
 It is a document that leaves no room for doubt where labor stands. The first declaration emphasizes in no uncertain terms for whom and for what the con- ference spoke. It says:
 We speak 1n the name of millions who work-those who make and use | too1s7- those who furnish the human | power necessary for commerce and in- 1 dustry. We speak as part of the na-
 tion and of those things of which we
 have special knowledge. Our welfare and interest are inseparably bound up
 with the wel1-being of the nation. We
 are an integral part of the American people and we are organized to work out the welfare of all.''
 It was an unanimous conference on 1 all questions except the peace treaty. 1 Opposition to it's indorsement was led | by Andrew Furuseth, who, it was
 charged by President Gonpers and oth-
 CTS, had, while i'll Paris indorsed the
 very sections he was fighting. But
 Furuseth had only two supporters, the l declaration for the adoption by the Sen
 ate of the peace treaty and labor char
 ter being adopted by vote of 118 to B The reactionary policy of Congress, l its evident intentions to enact laws that would harness and enslave the workers 1 ~r1, %l,a+ 11 411
 conference was made imperative. Pres every nerve tingling with the serious
 ness of the situation, made a remark
 able speech in opening the conference. 1 President Gompers said i'll part: There has arisen in our time, in re-
 cent time, a condition of affairs i'll the l life of our nation that affects the great
 masses of the people of the United | States the seeming thought and action | based upon that nation that the work l ing people of America are to. go through | a new phase of opposition nd bitter an- | tagonism to the orderly and rational constructive movement of the wage earners of our trade unions-the or ganization of the workers to either pro- tect or to promote the rights and in l terests of the working people. The at
 
 relentless and so threatening with po- tentia1 results that it was deemed both wise and essential that the meeting of the trade unions of America should be held.
 Tn addition, the railroad brother hoods, four of them, joined in with us with the call, and invitations were ex- tended to the Farmers organizations.
 'I welcome you in the name of the executive council, in the name of the American Federation of Labor, ot which you are component parts, con- stituent parts, and with which you are affiliated. 1 welcome you in the name of all labor.
 'I welcome you in the name of the men and the women who have gone before and who have dared to think and to do in order that we, i'll our time. may be enabled to do our share toward the worlds progress, and the worlds higher and bett-r concept of justice and freedom.
 T welcome you i'll the name of that great spirit which we evoked in this council chamber cf tie Amer can Federation of Labor on Maccll 42, 1917, when VIC tntn, too, sOun'ed the clarion note for unity of spirit ard thought and action so that if we were to be drawn into the war we would stand 100 per cent. not behind but in front of our Republic to maintain 1t against any of its enemies, no matter from whence they may come.
 We had another conference before that i'll 1906 and where we too took Up the cudge1s thrown at our feet and we presented our bill of grievances to the President and the Vice-President of the United States, to the Speaker of the House, and we presented 1t to the country, and though we did not win at that time, within a few years we ac- Comp1iShed great results, not only III the interests of labor, but in the interests of the highest and best concepts of jus tice and freedom.
 And so here now, we are met by those who would take away from us the we1l-earned and deserved victory and achievements for labor. Those who would put letters upon our wrists, those who would take away from us the fun damenta1 rights of free American citi- zens, those who would try to strike a blow at the very organic conditions of our labor movement.
 This movement of ours must sue | ceed We cannot brook or permit any man or group of men, no matter who he or she may be, to take from Us the opportunity of living our own lives, and carrying out to its fullest the destiny l and spirit of the American Labor move ment standing not only for our union men and women, but for every man and woman, and for every child i'll our country and for every man and woman l and child in every other country, all making for the cause of human broth erhood."
 The fiction advanced that wages should be fixed on a cost of living basis was punctuated successfully the conference declaring:
 This idea is pernicious and into1er- able. It means putting progress in chains and liberty in letters. It means fixing a standard of living and stand ard of life and liberty which must re- main fixed. Americas workers can not accept the proposition"