Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-30
REPLIES To CHARGES
AIMED At UNION LABOR
Samuel Gompers Clears Up Stories of
Strikes Fomented by Ger
man Money.

Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor. today
made public correspondence which
throws light on the recent discussion
relative to the position of organized
la Dor toward the charge that the am
munition factory strikes have been
formented by German money. His let
ter is in reply to an inquiry addressed
to him by Ernest Bohm, corresponding
secretary of the Central Federated
Union of New York city. in which he
was asked to clear the matter by stat
ing exactly the situation.
Mr.. Gompers letter is as follows
Mr.. Gompers' Statement.
Your communication of the oath in
slant to hand and contents noted. In
it you ask me to make a statement 'rela-
tive to newspaper reports in all of last
weeks papers alleging that officers of
international unions received German"
money to pull off strikes in Bridgeport,
Conn.,, and elsewhere in ammunition fac
tories
In the first place, in reply. 1 would
say that there are several misstatements
in the question. l never mentioned officers
of international unions; nor did use
the word German; nor did l mention
bridgeport, nor ola L feIeF TO
factories.
What / did say was that authentic
information has come to me that eff
forts have been made to corrupt men
for the purpose of having strikes in
augurateI among seamen and long
shoremen engaged in the handling of
American products and manning ships
containing American products con-
signed to certain European ports; that
the corrupting influence was being con-
dur a1 Nv re of
ment. and that | had no doubt that the
same agencies and influences were at
work elsewhere with the same purpose
In view.
Against Foreign Interference.
I'm the effort to organize the yet
unorganized workers of our country,
in the effort to secure reduction of
the hours of labor and higher wages
and better conditions for the toilers of
our country, 1 am not only in entire
sympathy, but that has been my life's
work and hope, and l shall continue to
give every assistance to the fullest
lengths of whatever ability may have
and opportunity which may present it
self for their accomplishment, but such
work must be done by the men and
women in the trade union movement of
America, but we should all enter a
sympathetic protest and frown down
upon any foreign interference, no mat
ter by what motive actuated, particu-
larly when that motive is Interior and
to the detriment of the good name.
growth and permanence of our great
cause.
Enemies of Labor Active.
ALREADY. the enemies of the labor
movement had banded about and at
tackled the honor and good name of our
movement, and the untruthful charge
has been made that strikes have been
inaugurated for ar money considera-
ton. That the effort has been made to
corrupt some of our men for such
purpose is true, but that the strikes
have been inaugurated is untrue. and
it is untrue because the men who
have given time and service to the
workers of our country have interposed
in time.
IF men in the labor movement are
to be criticised and condemned because
they propose to stand true to its
fundamental principles, to have 1t con-
Quoted from top to bottom honest and
clean, that the labo. movement shal!
be the guardian and the champion OF
the cause of the workers when the
toilers shall need it most, after this
titanic struggle shall have come to an
end, then earnest devotion to the strug-
gle of labor and humanity will be in
vain