The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-10-21

4m.OO0 men ar, supposed to be affected by
the AdamsoL oil.
Mr.. Gompers has recently established
himself a. the especial champion Of Mr..
Wilson, and claims joint credit with Mr..
Wilson for theii Joint conduct of our for.
eign affairs so far as Mexico is concerned.
He asks labor to support Mr. Wilson spe
officially on the ground Of Mr.. Wilson's
! attitude in Mexico. which, he states, he
has helped to secure. He says, for exam
! pie, that he was largely instrumental in
| securing the recognition Of Carranza in
Mexico, because Of Carranza's sympathy
| with the labor movement there. For the
details OF what ] speak, | refer you to
Senator Falls recent speeches, where the
exact quotations are given. Mr.. Com
pers states that when all other agen.
cies failed in the effort to secure the rec.
ignition of Carranza by President Wilson,
Gompers interviewed on September 22d,
| 1918, and Mr. Wilson's recognition Of
Carranza Immediately followed. Mr..
Gompers continues by saying that Car.
rama was recognized as the friend Of the
working people in Mexico. On September
I'd, 1919, Mr.. Gompers appealed for the
support of laboring men for Mr.. Wilson on
the ground Of Mr.. Wilson's policy as re-
CARDS Mexico. He thus tied himself up
with Messrs. Wilson and Carranza as one
OF the triumvirate which exercises supreme
control in Mexican matters. This makes il
worth while for the workers to whom Mr.
Gonpers especially appeals to study what
Carranza, the favored friend and ally Of
Messrs. Gompers and Wilson, has done to
laboring men in Mexico-not to speak of
what he has done to Americans in Mexico
Mr. Gompers states that when Carranza
refused to surrender the American soldiers
taken prisoners at Carrizal, in response to
President Wilson's request, he, Mr. Com
pers. telegraphed on June 2Sth last to Car.
rama appealing to him upon the ground
of patriotism and love" for the release
ni the American soldiers and that i'm.
rediately Carranza responded on June
18th TO Mr.. Gompers saying that he had
ordered the release of the prisoners. The
telegram closed with Salute. very affec
ionately, " Csrranza." Thereupon Sam
uel Gompers. in the name of the Fedora.
tion Of Labor, on June Both, thanked Gen
eral Carranza for releasing the American
soldiers
! really question whether we have ever
IN our history known anything as extra.
ordinary as the President of the United
states playing second fiddle in such man.
ner to the head Of a private organization
when dealing with international mstters
! wish to call your attention especially to
two facts in connection with the incident
Neither Mr.. Wilson nor Mr. Gnmpers.
neither OF the two amateur diplomats who
Illus acted on footing of fraternal equal.
ty in their joint conduct-and miscon.
duct-of American foreign relations made
any appeal or demand fr atonement for
the death of American soldiers treacher.
nSly slain by Carran7a's troops They
did nothing about the killing of Boyd and
Adair and their troopers. All that they
ventured to do was to ask that the Amer.
lean soldiers who had been taken pris.
oner when their comrades were slain be
returned That was the only request that
the joint committee of suppliants for safe
~. composed Of President Wilson and
President Gompers, ventured to demand
of their master. Mr.. Carranza.
There Is a further fact which should be
considered by the workingmen who are
asked to support Carranza by Messrs.
Wilson and Gompers on the ground that
he is the friend of labor. have before
me a copy Of decree issued by Carranza
under date Of August LIST. 1915, only six
weeks ago. Il has been furnished me by
Senator Fall This decree was issued be
cause the employees of the electric plant
and street railroads had struck for higher
wages. General Carranza had ordered that
they should accept one peso of paper
money, that is, ten cents silver, as their
daily wage. This they refused to do, and
strtlok Thapaunnn Ganaral r. L
sued a decree; and remember that General
Carranza's government is a purely military
government, where neither judges nor leg
islators have power to interfere in any
way with what is done by General Car
rama and the military authorities who do
his bidding. The decree runs in part as
follows: "The military authorities not
long ago advised the laboring classes that
they would not allow the creation of
tyranny so harmful to the welfare OF the
Mexican Republic as the tyranny Of labor.
Notwithstanding this the strike of the EN-.
ployees Of the electric light company and
of others allied to it is a palpable demon
stration that the workmen have not wished
to be persuaded that they form only
work becomes illegal the moment that the
capital, but also harms society in direct
or indirect manner, as is the case with the
present strike. The conduct Of the labor
union in the present case must be consid-
cred as anti-patriotic and criminal, and
constitutes without doubt an attack ON
the public peace. In view of the forego-
ing ! have decreed the following as an
addition to the existing code: Besides the
dsturbers Of the public peace punishable
by death as heretofore described, the
death penalty will also be imposed on the
following: Those who may incite the sus
pension of work in factories or enterprises
destined TO public service, or who preside
over meetings in which it is proposed to
discuss or approve such a strike, those
who may defend or sustain the same, or
who assist in these meetings, and those
who endeavor to make the strike effective
upon being declared, and those who by
threats or force prevent others from rem.
dering their services TO the companies or
enterprises against which the strike is
declared" In short words, this decree is
that inasmuch as Mr.. Carranza disapproves
Of the strike ordered by a certain labor or
ganiEation, anyone who strikes, or who at |
tends a strikers meeting, or who gives |
assistance or aid to the strikers, shall suf. |
fer the death penalty-that Is, shall be |
tried by drumhead co1rt-martial and Inn |
mediately shot This decree was issued on |
August LIST last. Yet Mr.. Gompers asks |
the support Of the Iaboring men of the |
United States for Mr.. Wilson on the |
ground that he IL the sponsor Of the mill. |
tary tyrant who issued this decree. Ii is
now announced In the press that Mr.. Com. |