The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-07-18
GERMAN Agents
INCITE TROUBLE
Secret Influences Blamed for
Labor Difficulties in Mu>
nitions Plants.
SAMUEL GOMPERS TO ACT
President of A. F. of L. Believes
Bride Money Was Offered in the
Bridgeport Case.

With unexpected labor troubles devel-
oping IN many of the big war munitions
plants throughout the country. organized
labor now admits that the insidious in
iuence of secret German agents is being
felt within its ranks.
President Gompers, of the American
Federation of Labor yesterday an
nounced that the Federation was aware
that this was the fact, that 1t knew of
pro-German influences at work in the
Bridgeport. Conn. difficulty, and that
steps would be taken to guard against
further spread Of the pro-German prop
uganda in an effort to tie up labor en-
gagged in manufacturing munitions of war
for the allies.
Mr. Gompers. by strong inference
served notice. in his statement on Rep
resentative Frank Buchanan, of Illinois
and his so-called labor peace council
that organized labor as a body not only
is not in favor of his Propaganda osten-
sibly for the promotion of peace actually
to prevent shipments Of arms to Great
Britain. France and Russia, but that he
regards Mr.. Buchanan's activities with
suspicion and the purpose Of the orsanf-
cation with distrust.
Trouble Likely to Spread,
At Bridgeport. Conn. where about
eco workers are threatened with a tie
up over differences Of a mysterious ma
ture, Mr.. Gompers believes bride money
was offered to start the trouble, and this
substantiates the charges made by of1i-
Gals of the Remington Union Metallic
Arms Company that German money was
paid at least two Of the leaders This
trouble threatens to spread throughout
the New England district and result in
tie-ups in many lines dependent upon the
New England factories for parts to COM
plete their products.
Il have reason to believe that the
Bridgeport trouble will be settled peace.
ably in a few days.. declared Mr.. Com.
pers on his return from New York
While l was in New York / conferred
with number of the labor leaders in.
VOWED.
Labor organizations and disputes will
not be permitted to be manipulated &c
serve the purposes of a European bellig.
erent. / can say that our leaders have
been approached in this trouble by par.
ties interested in preventing the ship.
ment Of munitions of war from this coun.
try. Such efforts in the ufture will be
watchfully guarded against. ferreted out
and repudiated
No Interest in Destination.
Labor is interested in working within
the law. What was legal last year |.
legal this year. Labor has no interest ir
the destination Of material upon the
| manufacture of which it is employed
| Labor knows only that 1t Is employed
| upon the manufacture Of material which
someone has ordered and paid for. A.
long as these materials are manufactured
| under conditions fair to labor. labor doe.
not propose to serve as the catspaw fol
| either the one belligerent or the other
President Gompers' statement aims di
rectly at the activities of Buchanan and
| the Labor Peace Council. That Buchan
| an has been interested in the Bridgeport
! strike there is no doubt Buchanan Is q
former international president Of tn,
Bridge and Structural Iron Workers
Union. which is closely affiliated with the
| nnachinists, and which also is directly
! interested In the Bridgeport strike
Buchanan has been on the ground fol-
some time and his advent on the scene
| was marked by an immediate change fol
the worse In the situation. which spread
from a jurisdictional dispute between the
carpenters and machinists' unions in
volvinG $50 millwrights employed by a
construction company holding a Rem
ington contract, to general hare-up
/, which threatens to tie up thousands OF
workers in the entire Bridgeport district
the greatest center of arms and ammuni-
| ton manufacturing in the world.
Denied Financial Support.
The Buchanan organization, financed
from unknown sources, at first looked to
the Carnegie Peace Foundation for finan.
cial and moral support. Both were de-
MED 1t. to the great resentment of the
leaders. At that time the platform OF
the organization carried as its principal
plank a proposal that the United States
government acquire rights to all patents
| for guns and other munitions of war
and control absolutely the manufacture
| of such munitions, thus preventing theil
shipment to Europe.
This plank was advanced as a means OF
! preventing manufacturers Of munition:
| of war from stirring up a demand FOL
greater ornaments for this country. the
| theory. ostensibly being that greater
armaments would serve as an incentive
! to war. BY this roundabout method OF
reasoning the organization dubbed Its
work a peace propaganda. The immedi
ate and only logical result to be expected
| from the success of its efforts-the pre-.
vention of shipments of arms to thu
enemies Of Germany-was Of course moi
| referred to. But the activity of Mr.
Buchanan at Bridgeport. the statement
| of Mr.. Gompers yesterday. and the state
ment attributed to labor leader n
Bridgeport that he twice had been Of
fered 500 to call out the bricklayer.
working on a Remington plant. furnish
ground for interesting speculation as tc
| Just what the moving spirit behind Mr.