Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 November 1907 — IMPORTANT CONFLICT [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

IMPORTANT CONFLICT

Oompers’ Labor Union and the Union Manufacturers Will Co to War. ISSUE IS THE BOYCOTT BUIE Salt Already Started Against] the*'We Don’t Patronize” List Manufacturers ’Will Fight It to a Finish, and Federation Will Defend It to the Very Last Ditch. Norfolk. Not. 13. That there will be war to the knife between the 'American Federation of Labor and the National Association of Manufacturers is evidence at the session of the Federation of Labor here. The Federation has already taken the aggressive by looking to the establishment of a fund to fight the manufacturers through its executive council. The allegation Is that undue pressure Is being brought by the manufacturers of the country agninst organized labor, to the detrl-

raent of tbe latter. It is alleged. The manufacturers combat this in a statement made by .lames Van Cleave, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, in which he bolds that' the object of his association is to put labor ou a basis whereby it may be held responsible for its contracts. As an Instance lie called attention to the pending suit in New York of the Typothetne against the pressmen, alleging the breaking of contracts by pressmen. Manufacturers Declare War. On the issue made by Goriipers in seeking funds to fight the suit brought by Van Cleave, as president of the Buck Stove and Range c ompany, of St. Bonis, against President Gompers and the Federation’s executive council, the manufacturers’ association comes out flatfooted with the statement that it will fight the boycott and the blacklist to the finish. Keport Calls for War Funds. The Federation executive council’s report on this matter is very vigorous. It declares that the attempt to re strain organized labor from placing goods on the “We Don’t Patronize” list is an effort by the “arch enemies of labor, after failure to disrupt all labor unions, to discredit the discretion, the honesty and integrity of the Anaer lean Federation of Labor and its officials, and to deprive them of the free dorn of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of their personal liberty.”

The report declares that the Federa tbm is without sufficient funds to meet the war the manufacturers' association will be aide to put forth, and asks for action by this convention for the raising of the necessary funds. Attention is called to the fact that the American Federation of Labor at present lias only n per capita fund of 6 cents per year for the meeting of all expenses and emergencies. ’

JAMES W. VAN CLEAVE.