The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 13, 1904, Page 3

'z. o e VA ST Y T L - e « o v ——y - ...{ i e J N~ 2= Ko Y I Yy that this partic- o~ N % 4 Qfl A “’\« Gl AP e B e NS s aper the labor on the wre wealth and luxury v can the beneficiary nderstand that the h eduction of the the general uplift of his is to his be; great truth must f God. But is there one afess that the world is heir release? There is the To secure a common right N OSSN By Frank G. Morrison g o= 2R Secretary A: F. of L. s oo o e 2 Frank G. Morrison, Secretary American Federation of Labor, Typographical Tnior. e the strength % of force must be used. “The securing of right and justice to one man betters the whole world. Raise the level of an inteiligence and manhood of the great mass of the peo- ple and the world will be 2 so much place to live in that men will ely recognize it for the place that was; those that had the best there was before will discover joys they never dreamed of. When every man is a real man, ecarrying his head up with ideas and knowledge in it, wearing proper flesh on his benes and clothes to cover it; when every woman. through the means of education, en- vironment and relief from overwork and worry becomes a beautiful and in- telligent ‘lady’; when children, ail children, may be properly cared for and sent to school until they have ac- quired a good education, will not com- pensation have been rendered to the privileged and pampered few for what has been filched from them in the form of their exclusive caste? That is the whole story. That is the end toward which the American Federation of e Labor is working — and working now with considerable speed. What is the future? “That is to say, what is the future if the American Federation of Labor proves to be the perfected implement that we believe it to be. For these con- ditions are the same that all labor movements have been directed at since absolute chatte] slavery was wiped out and men climbed to where they had a horizon. If not, then the American Federation of Labor will have at least served to show the way, as others have done before it. But we do know that the American Federation of Labor is the best means to the end now extant. It has avoided the errors of other or- ganizations preceding it. It has the same working system as the Govern- ment of the United States. It is repre- #ntative and democratic and avoids entangling alliances. It is ruled by the majority of its members. It is free in its discussion of the problem it is try- ing to solve and it does not fear pub- licity. And yet its government is strong and its laws are enforced to the I having capital ;, Just the same as letter., % “But the period of energetic enlist- ments is over for a time. The Ameri- can Federation of Labor will now, I beileve, turn its energies to the work of educating and disciplining the vast army of its present membership, as- similating its new material, so to speak. Here is now to be gained its great strength, the real strength of the cause of labor. Its members are to be taught how to be effective. They know what is so—they are to be taught why it is so. The more perfectly the work- ingman understands his relationship to his employer the more loyal he is to the only means by which he can hope to win in a contest with his pow- erful antagonist. I say antagonist, for s0 long as human nature is human na- ture, capital and helpless labor are at war. Well, as I was saying, there is the very element of strength and con- servatism in the position of union la- bor. It does not half blame the capi- talist for what he is. It recognizes his position and the ignorance and preju- dice that he inherits by right of his e recognizes itsown for fighting get. There- work with absolute necessity for what it shall fore it goes about the sanity and method, a sanity and method that grew with experience. The American Federation of Labor cui- tivates strength through loyalty that comes of intelligen®™ understanding of the situation and confidence in its cause and in its leaders to exercise conservatism. Conservatism is = the watchword of the American Federa- tion of Labor. By conservatism I mean the disposition to demand only what is fair and just, to press that demand with temperance, and in no case with undue haste, to meet advances with considerate justice and to proceed to strike and other drastic measures only when every other means patient!y em- ployed has not availed. “The American Federation of Labor has already made great progress with its cause by these principles. “President Gompers has to his credit the peaceful adjustment of a greater number of disputes between labor and capital than any other one man. The 2 e N whole argument and weapon of the American Federation of Labor is force of its numbe® and the j of its cause. With the first excite the respect of ca the latter enlist the fair-minded. It will do with party polities upon which many well ments split. Worki for their frien they find the: has gone or ev the officers or leac to vote for any candi has been made of a I President Gompers a use of the baflot, but has been wholly misunder: labor fully recognizes the ne r an effectiveness of the ballot, t is to be left to the intelliz individual. He can choose he can enter pelitics a as he pleases and urge wh he sees fit, byt as an org: American Federati have ne 2 more tho e de- termined than “What are the reforms t labor is addressing i 1 - fort to reach the n g. and what means 2 In the first p we have cc The hours of I from s then to eig tion has b portation « s shop has b rge measure and 1ges ha b i- ool. We wo injunction Governor of t ingmen because with him. These things we are wor We wish to referendum work in every work is prog fnitiative and referend cured it will form a toward other reforms. “About the means ¢t Simply dem: d agitation 11,000 dis call of Labor have thirty ganizers in the preaching the gosp There on that big map on will see their names, slip fastened by a pin at at which he is working. Tt shifted as the men move and v thus survey the situation at a Each of these workers has his ary and is directed from this As he leaves each town to go on t next he drops a card—a ted fills out—and upon receipt we move his pin to the The organizer does not devote b be to each « to any one craft, but unc ‘organize the town’ before As a result of this activity have been worked- Many new have been recently and are being r added to the great army of Among these are the a few ars ago numbe: sand or two, but who now have The waiters, which had b 00 seven 50,000. M 3 ers have made phenomenal ad The miners now number the largest jon; 167,000 and the 000. These things great strides of the Ar tion of Labor, which in the years increased its members 000. Nearly every craft is now sented in the federation. Our organizers are working all over the United States, and in Porto Rico and Hawaii. ‘The jurisdiction, of the Am Federation of Labor _ North America, including Canada is well organized, Ontario, Quebec and the mar provinces. A union ca where in these plac union card of Eng here. England is v and they have a is organized on American Federation. attend the annual convention of the American Federation of Labor and two delegates from the latter attend their annual meeting. Germany, France, Austria and Russia are 1 organized, but there'is no central boc there. They will be certain, howes to follow the example that th works to such advantage with us, and I look to see an intercontinental or- ganization of labor. “But confining the question to United States I see a time, as t - sult of our agitation and persis t effort, when no child shall be set to work, and children and youth shall go to school until they are 18 years of age; when every man’'s child have the benefit of a high-sch tion; when men shall be so wel that they can afford to marry and r children and provide for them pre and see to their education; wh cause of this, women will be taken of the field of competition by finding husbands and homes; when every man and woman will find time to loaf a | tle ‘and invite his soul’ and life will mean something more than a day of toil; when strikes and lockouts will no longer be used as a weapon between employer and employed, because of a mutual respect and a better under- standing. This is the good time toward which the American Federation of La- bor is looking and working, and I think we shall see it in our day.” AN rr P A T ars e e N . Li< CTTTRC, tnd i diid