The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-07-22
STRIKE INSPIRED
GOMPERS ASSERTS
President of Organized Labor
Says Foreign influences Are
Behind the Bridgeport
Difficulty.

Washington. July 20. -- Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation of Labor today began an
effort to end the strike in the Reming-
ton Arms plant at Bridgeport, Conn.
He will confer with the leaders and
others interested, and while no official
action has been taken by the depart
ment Of labor, Secretary Wilson has
been consulted and Is in touch with
the situation. It Is expected that the
influence Of the government will be ex-
erted toward ar early settlement.
President Gompers today expressed
the opinion that the Bridgeport trouble
may have been part Of a general plan
by foreign influences to cause labor
troubles to cut off American exports OF
arms and ammunition.
Il know that foreign interests, well
supplied with funds, have sought to
bring on labor troubles to prevent the
shipping of American products to Eu-
rope said Mr.. Gompers. Il know that
an effort vas made to bring about a
strike of longshoremen and that when
that failed an effort was made to cause
q strike of seamen. I know these things
as we'll as l know anything that / have
not personally seen. There can be no
doubt that this foreign propaganda
with unlimited means behind 1t, is
seeking to check the manufacture and
expectation of supplies for Europe"
Mr.. Gompers said that an effort
would be made to improve conditions
at Bridgeport.
There Is a great hue and cry" he
said. that the workmen should bear
the burden of hard times. 1 believe that
when there is q general prosperity from
any cause the work man should have his
share Of the increased profit"
P~ridoADort Conn .JuIv 1a-Iahor
leaders in charge OF the strike situa-
ton in Bridgeport announced this aft
ernoon that they had failed to hear
from the New Yorker who on Satur-
day requested the postponement of the
calling out OF the machinists employed
by The Remington Arms & Ammuni-
ton company.
IF we do not hear from this man
by 4 o'clock this afternoon" said J. J.
Keppler, international vice president
of the machanists' union, I'VE will have
to believe that the negotiations have
failed. In that event the men prob
ably will be called out tomorrow. "a
hours after the time originally set for
the beginning of the strike"
simultaneously with this announce
ment came another Of an equal import
ance from the secretary of the Bridge
port Manufacturers association that at
q meeting today the manufacturers had
determined to stand as a body behind
the Remington company in it's decision
to run an open shop. The action, it was
said in the announcement, was taken
after the manufacturers had been ad
dressed by Daniel Davenport, once af-
fillated with counsel for the National
Association of Manufacturers and now
counsel for the American Anti Boycott
Association.
During the lunch hour today hun
dreds of workers from the Remington
plants swarmed about the labor lead
ers who went there to make sure that
all understood there was to be no walk
out today. The workers piled the lead
ers with questions. A special force OF
city policemen was dispatched to the
plant today. Added precautions were
taken to keep strangers away.