The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1916-12-15
COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW
OF FEDERATION WORK
BY DANTE BARTON


The Baltimore convention of 1916 OF
the American Federation of Labor has
quite certainly set a historic mark in
the economic development of the
United States. Probably, too, in the
political development of the country.
Under leadership that has long
proved its safety and sanity, and has
sometimes been reproached as too
conservative, the Federation assumed
definitely the direction and leader
ship of the movement in America for
industrial and economic justice. Pres
ident Samuel Gompers in spon-
taneous notable utterance struck the
note for fundamental democracy in
the economic field, that was quite
fairly comparable to Lincoln's state
ment of political democracy in the
Gettysburg address. That was when
Mr.. Gompers, in brief review of the
lineup of the forces of wealth to
crush the labor movement bade those
forces beware that they did not push
labor too far.
Only a day or two before the whole
convention, without dissenting
voice, had declared that wherever the
power of injunction and compulsiOn
was usurped by a court or judge to
throttle liberty, that usurpation of
power should be ignored and dis
obeyed.
The words and spirit and action of
the convention were most significant
when viewed with the surrounding
circumstances of politics, economic
crises and world affairs.
In New York concurrently, was
meeting the National Industrial Con-
ference, quite BADLY and boldly eX-
pressing the purpose of $4,000 en-
plOyers, eight billion dollars in capital
and the mastery of seven million
workers, chiefly unorganized and I'M
derpaid, to oppose and defeat all eff
forts of all workers, organized or UNI
organized, to better their economic
conditions by conscious control Of
their own lives and means Of liveli-
hood That industrial conference had
been called together as the greater
successor to the discredited National
Association of Manufacturers.
Concurrently also was meeting in
Washington the congressional com
mittee to investigate the railroads.
and the railroad question and the
wage question as affecting the rail
roads and the transportation problem
The field for investigation and dis
cussion by the committee had laid the
widest foundation for all Industrial
inquiry. AS an incident, the interests
appearing before the committee or
serving notice of their appearance
were defining the industrial dispute
in clearer issue than has ever before
been defined
At the same time also the suit of
| the railroad interests to nullify the
/ Audu GlSuI-HOuT law Was u6lluluS
itself for presentation to the United
States Supreme Court. That suit was
most deeply significant, as illustrating
again in a critical time the unwilling
ness of great commercial and finan-
cial interests to abide by the law, as
expressed by the law-making body,
and ratified by popular vote. 1t eX-
emplified the custom of those in
terests to resort to the judicial power
for its veto upon democratic legisla-
ton. Another of the circumstances
among which the convention of the
Federation was set was the political
victory for those domestic moves to-
ward democracy and those policies of
international relationships with which
the labor movement had just definite
ly and positively allied itself.
The convention illustrated the draw
ing together of the labor forces by the
appearance before it of the chiefs of
the four great brotherhoods of rail
road employees. Practically union
or voluntary working agreement be-
tween the Federation and the brother