The Knoxville independent. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1917-09-08
ORGANIZED LABOR
LOYAL TO NATION
No More Potent Force For
Democracy In America.
STATEMENT OF GOMPERs

President of the American Federation
Denounces Workmen's Council a,
Anti American and Opposed to Best
Interests of the Country--Unions No,
to Surrender Rights.
AS chairman of the American ALI.
ance For Labor and Democracy Sam.
uel Gompers recently issued a state
ment at the headquarters of the alli-
anee, $50 Broadway, New York, in
which he said:
Resolutions adopted by an organi-
cation styling itself the SO called Work
mems council, wing of the so called
= PEOPLES council, contain the statement
that Mr.. Gompers has at the very en-
trance of the United States into the
war made common cause with the re-
dictionary, militaristic and capitalist in
terests Of the country and agreed to
surrender labor's rights won after long
years Of hard struggle So the resolu-
ton is reported in the press.
II wish to say that this charge is a
bald and complete untrutn and those
who made 1t either knew 1t was an I'M
truth or else are so ignorant of current
labor history as to render them unfit
for any intelligent discussion of it.
The statement is plain lie from start
to finish.
in the first place, even If as presi-
dent of the American Federation of La
Dor had entered into any such prepos-
ferrous agreement 1t would have been
repudiated instantly by the labor move
ment. In the second place, | would not
enter into any such movement 1t is
not necessary for me to even say that
/ would not.
"Organized labor has not made COM
mon cause with any enemies of the la
Dor movement, nor will it. 1t has made
common cause with our country and
our democracy and with the democratic
aspirations of the working people of
the world, and this cause has always
been ours ours first of ALL
''lhe 'reactionary, militaristic and
capitalistic' interests have been com
PEELED to surrender more to the Ameri-
can labor movement since America en-
tered the war than they had any ex-
pectation of surrendering. They are
going to surrender more, and, more
over, we are going to keep after the
EQE what we gain during the war.
There is no surrender, no going back,
and the misleaders of this so called
Workmen's council know this perfect
ly. | am not quite sure whether they
are conscious deceiVers or conscience
less deceivers.
"The American trade union move
ment Is a militant movement The foes
Of labor among the employers know
this, even If some Of labor's foes In the
so called Workmen's council do not.
When it ceases to be militant 1t will
cease to exist. That is fundamental
american organized labor is loyal to
America, loyal to the core. 1t is loyal
to democracy, within our nation as
well as without, and there is in Amer
lea today no more potent force for de-
mocracy than the organized labor move
ment. And we are going to do our best
to rout the enemies of America and de.
mocracy, whether they are within or
without. II is painful to have to say
that there are so many within, but it is
the fact.
This SO called Workmen's council Is
anti-American and pro-German, as is
its parent, the so called Peoples coun-
Gil. This / say deliberately. see no
point at which the German kaiser could
find any fault with either of these pre-
cious Potsdamistic and Lenineistic or
CARNATIONS. And you may believe me
when / say that the American labor
movement is not in agreement with the
German kaiser nor with the pernicious
propaganda of the Lenines, and neitbe;
Is it going to remain inactive while II
fluences of that kind seek to divide Que
nation and help destroy our liberties
We will fight such contemplate, treach,
erous efforts fight, fight. fight them to
the bitter end.
"You may say that the American la
Dor movement is not represented by
any one or any agency except itself,
and the claims OF alleged councils to
representing labor are as preposterou3
and ridiculous and treacherous rs any
other phase of their activities