The Gem worker and the Idaho labor herald. (Boise, Idaho) 1914-1917, 1916-08-03
From Committee on Industrial Rela-
tons, Washington, D. C..
BY George p. West.

While every big special interest
newspaper and every jingoist in the
country is shouting for war with Mex
leo, five official representatives of the
Mexican labor movement are meeting
with the executive council OF the Am
erican Federation of Labor in COM
plete harmony and friendship.
At the Federation headquarters i'll
Washington, the common interests of
the peoples of the United States and
of Mexico are being emphasized in
the conferences that are proceeding
with a view to removing misunder-
standings and preventing war.
The Washington meetings are his
toric as being the most effective eff
fort ever made by the workers OF two
countries to avoid war. Mexican dele
gates to the conference are in close
touch with First Chief Carranza,
while American labor through Presi-
dent Gompers is making its wishes
known to the American administra-
tion
The Mexican labor representatives
include Carlos Lovera, Baltazar
Pages, Luis Morones, Salvador Con
zalo Garcia, and Colonel Edmund
MARTINEZ They are here at the in
vitation of President Gompers.
Women and children will JOIN with
the men of Mexico in resisting Amer
lean occupation, the Mexican dele
gates told Washington newspaper
correspondents who had asked what
would happen if the American troops
are not withdrawn.
The interview was arranged in the
office of the Committee on Industrial
Relations by Lincoln Steffens, who
led the questioning with view tc
bringing out the attitude of the Mex
ican people.
1--WE represent 90 Mexican labor
unions with a membership OF 100000
said Carlos Lovera. of Yucatan anC
chief spokesman for the MeXicans
1--WE realize that it is quite possible
we shall have to go to war when W.
have no quarrel, and we are here tC
do what we can to prevent it. 1t ma,
be that we shall fail, just as labo
failed in Europe.
Since we arrived here we hav
learned that the American people de
not want war, and especially the work
ing people. To a certain extent w
can carry that news to the Mexican
and give them that impression, tha
the American people have no quarre
with us and do not want war. We be
lieve the trouble is made by the spec
ial interests, and not by the people
"Mr. Carranza does not want wal
nor do the men around him.
"As far as we know, we don't thin
there is anyone in Mexico that want
war.
Labor and the government of Me>
leo are working together. The gov
ernment recognizes us, and the labo
movement agrees to help the Const
tutionalists revolution. We had res
iments in the field, under our own o
ficers. They were called the red b'
tallions.
"When we have big strike nov
the military does not help the en-
ployers. They do not interfere, the
do not help us, but they leave us ire
TO use the strike weapon. The go
ernment of Yucatan is helping all the
can. We have the 8 hour day al
the English week of "A hours. "
ouit work at II o'clock on Saturd;
morning and are paid for the full da
son the day we left Mexico,
had the first actual distribution OF lai
in Yucatan."
The Mexican delegates were to
that Americans say Mexicans
treacherous. They said that the Me
leans believed the same thing abo
Americans. Asked why, Lovera sal
ain the first place, the war in ~
The United States took California a
Arizona, New Mexico, and Tex
nearly half of our country. Genei
Grant and many other America
have condemned that war. After tn
the United States government a
Dress tried TO support the Diaz &c