Jasper County Democrat, Volume 6, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 September 1903 — DENOUNCE ROOSEVELT'S ACT. [ARTICLE]

DENOUNCE ROOSEVELT'S ACT.

Unions Score President for Advocating the “Open Shop.” Alarmed by the crusade being waged by employers’ associations for the right to hire non-union men, delegates to the Chicago Federation of Labor denounced the “open shop,” criticised President Roosevelt for his defence of independent workmen, and approved of a plan to do sway with written wage agreements. In a 9,000-word letter nominally friendly to President Roosevelt, but actually adopting sn attitude of correction toward b>«n the Chicago Federation of Labor Sunday went on record as declaring that tbs exclusion of non-uniou workmen from the government and other employ was right under “statute law, business expediency and moral principle.” Organizer John Fitapatrick struck s blow at tha “open shop” policy by introducing a report advocating the abolition of all agreements between labor unions and employers. “Deliciously unaware of the hypocrisy of the world of finance,” “honest and humane, but uninformed,’’ were some of the clauses used to describe the President in ths long letter of the open shop committee. Its opening paragraphs contained u definite disclaimer of any wiah to attack Mr. Roosevelt, the blame, for the chief executive’# attitude in the Miller affair being placed upon “a coterie of certain well-known interests which are constantly on guard around the White House.” The President was told that he fell Into error la his view of the question “because of that Impetuosity for which we love yon.” The reeding of the letter before the federation meeting occupied over an hour and excited applause from the crowd of delegatee.