The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-11-13
Annual Report of Executive Council Expresses Ap- preciation For Respect and Confidence Manifest ed by People.

mestic affairs during the last year were set forth at length in the annual report of the executive council of the American Federation of Labor, pre- sented here today to the Federation s 36th annual convention.
 The membership of the Federation is given at 2,071,S36 on September 30, the close of the fiscal year, an in- crease of about 125,ooo over the pre- vious year and of more than 1,800, 900 in the 19 years of it's existence. There are 21,711 local unions in the fedora tion and 45 state federations. Re- ceipts for the year are shown at $404,- 407 with g. cash balance at it's close of $S9,360.
 The report closes with plea to workers to continue their efforts for better conditions through organizatio on and cooperation.
 There are opening up before the labor movement" it says, "tremen- dous opportunities to mold and in- fuence the foundation of economic, social and political organization. It is fitting to call attention to our we'll known slogan which represents the way by which present progress was achfeved-Agitate! Educate! Organ ize!-much has already been achieved through organization and the toilers are just beginning to realize the great opportunities that lie before them only through better and stronger or ganization can all enter that heritage.
 "It is but fitting that we should ex- press our deep appreciation of the re- spect and confidence manifested to- ward us by the great rank and file of the organized labor movement of America and by the liberty, humanity loving people of the continent. Never in history as now has there existed such feeling and spirit of unity, soli- darity and fraternity. It all augurs well not only for the we'll being of the workers of our own time but all the people for all time.'
 In discussing international labor re- lations the report speaks of the effort to have a World Labor Congress held at the time and place of the holding of a World Peace Congress at the end of the European War and the rejec- ton of the suggestion by organized labor in Great Britain and Germany, which necessarily requires that our proposition be abandoned" This att titude led to the adoption of this sug- gestion by the Council:
 Since the first proposal submitted by the A. F. of l.. to the labor organ nations of Europe has been definitely rejected by them, we suggest that the organized labor movements of those countries that shall participate in the general peace conference to determine terms and conditions of peace at the close of the war, shall urge upon their respective governments that the wage earners shall be represented in an official commission from their re- spective countries. The same policy ought to be pursued also by organized labor movements of neutral countries if it shall be determined that repre- sentative wage earners would be seat ed, with other representatives of the nations in general conferences con- nected with the formulation of peace terms. In this way the ideals and needs of wage-earners would be pre- sented and considered by the general official body"
 In discussing Pan-American Labor relations the report details confer ences in Washington last summer be- tween President Gompers and other officers of the American Federation and representatives of organized labor in Mexico when the relations between the two countries were "most criti- cal.' The report suggests that a Pan-American Federation 'is not only possible but necessary"
 When conditions had arisen that seemed to make war between the United States and Mexico inevitable' continues the report, "the understand ing between the labor movements of the United States and Mexico took on more definite form and was again instrumental in throwing light upon the influences and the agents that we're trying to create war sentiment and the seeming necessity for inter- vention in the affairs of Mexico, and was able to help bring about an ad- adjustment of misunderstanding without resorting to war;
 The report details the conferences and tells of the ultimatum sent to General Carranza by the United States demanding immediate release of American soldiers captured at Car rizaL
 "It was at this time," the report goes on, "that a request was made to President Gompers that he make a personal appeal IO I0u0IaI SdTTdnZa to release the United States soldiers;'' The telegram asking release 'fn the name of common justice and human ity and a better understanding be- tween the two countries and to avoid ''the horrors of war" was recited and the report goes on to say that ,"that same evening extra papers announced General Carranza had issued an order releasing the American soldiers
 The conferences, the report says, led to an understanding which made more general ''the feeling that the people of Mexico knew what they wanted, understood their peculiar problems and had a right to work out their own salvation in accord with their own ideals.'
 Reviewing antitrust and injunction regulation the report says:
 .'The enactment of the labor pro- visions of the Clayton Antitrust Act has forced employers who wish to use antitrust legislation and the in- junctive process to assist them in de- feating the efforts of employees to se- cure higher wages and better condi- tions of workS to transfer their efforts from federal to state courts. The result makes increasingly important the necessity for the enactment of state laws to prevent the abuse of Judicial agencies and the perversion of legislation to exclusion service in behalf of employers. The uses to which writs of injunction and anti trust legislation have been put have