The Connecticut labor news., 1923-09-15

men who have charged the American Federation of Labor as such to be against what they are pleased to call industrial unionisrn or the one big union, and 1 venture to say that when they come to consider this proposition outside of out international union then they are industrialists; but when there is a proposal to open our doors and go into the highways and byways and or ganize these men and women against whom literally we are closing our doors, it is opposed.
 I ask any delegate in this convention the union has recognized the machine or improved tool where the conditions of the working people were made worse. It is not in the order of nature and of things. The better we organize the more thoroughly will we be in posi- ton to defend, not only that which we have, but to move onward and for ward for the things which ought to be ours and which we can obtain.
 . I can see no danger to the men in the industry in New England I am proud of being a member of an inter national union of which they have shown themselves to be such valiant fighters. 1 am proud of the record of our international union and of our local rnions, even the smallest of them. Something in this convention struck me with great force Look through your roll call of delegates and you will find there are more delegates here repre- rsenting two, three or four local unions than at any time in the history of our cause the trade has left these small places and they have little member ships. And SO a thousand miles away from each othey they have been re- quired to combine and send delegate. Is 1t not a lesson for us? Are we to go on and let well enough alone? This is not we'll enough, it is bad enough, and in the name of all that is good and right and in the interest of our members and our wonderful internation- al organization let us see things as they are and deal with them, open the door wide our international union so that every man and woman will be member. Let us come to them with the invitation to come into our organiza- tion. What we have at the present time is great tribute to what we have built, but the time has come to change.
 I don't know whether it will ever be lily pllNlGSS lO dSdIl dCleIQ COIL vertion of the Cigar Makers Interna- tional Union. 1 have no misgivings, have no false notions. I have work ed all my life, and so long as life shall remain in me I shall work and work, and work in this great movement to which 1 have devoted every ounce of my energy. I want to continue, and will continue, whethe in office or in the ranks, so long as there is a breath of life in my body and until the end.
 repeat, it is exceedingly doubtful that I shall ever have the pleasure of being at another convention of the Cigar Makers International Union of Amer ica. I have been delegate to every convention from and including the Ro- chester convention of 1877, a record of 40 years. l repeat, I don't again ex- pect to be at a convention of the in ternational union, but whether I shall or shall not, I propose that while I am here I shall give expression to the best though of which I am capable. and the best advice that my life and experience has given to me to share with you for the good of the men and women of our industry, so that you may resume the great part which we have heretofore played in this most wonderful movement, the American Federation of Labor