Denver labor bulletin., 1917-02-17
WESTERN WORLD
LABOR COMBINES
Continued From Page one)

Joint forces of the labor movements VI
all these countries Will be USED 70
prevent the creation of any lndustrial
feudalism such as exists To-Day IN
Porto Rico and Santo Domingo, and
such as has been overthrown IN lu-
catan.
Whatever the American Federation
of Labor can do in congress and IN the
states to disarm these international
] freebooters will be done, while IN their
own countries the MeXicans, Argen-
tines, Chileans, Peruvians and other
national labor elements will work for
industrial and political measures TO
better the condition of the workers
and check the greed of the North
| American and other foreign magnates.
Humanity and international peace are
to be the slogan of Pan-American la
Dor. The Federation promises to
write the epitaph of many CONNER
cial pirate now sailing from Wall
street into the seas of Latin-American
exploitation.
Militarism Bad for Labor.
The pledge of opposition to militar-
ism is significant to every wage earn
er in the United States. 1t represents
the summing-up of the evidence on the
militarist issue by not merely Mr..
Gompers, but by the men who have
seen Mexico ravaged for six years,
and who have been studying the labor
struggles in South and Central Amer
lea. Everywhere they found the
worst conditions of labor where the
soldier was backing up the authority
of big business. Where militarism
was in worst repute, there the work
ers had the most freedom and the best
degree of social development.
As almost everybody knows. the
Latin-American does not think in the
same grooves with his Anglo-Sa&on
brother. He does not clearly distin-
guish his industrial rights-his rights
of strike and of decent wages and
hours of labor-from his political
rights. To him there is zone right"
and he wants il. II is what Americans
call "a square deal" and it apples 10
everything from wages to methods Of
securing a fair count on election day.
Work in Their Own Way.
Hence the conference committee
says:
be autonomous within the jurisdiction
of its own country. The conference
committee stands for the right of the
workers of every American country
to work out their own problems in ac-
cord with their ideals and highest con-
ceptions."
Thus the Argentine workers can do
as they please about syndicalism-
their dominant form Of organization
and political action, and the workers
in the United States will reserve to
themselves the same liberty. But
both will join in all international ef-
forts to advance the common interests
of the workers in their one big strug-
,,1. 10 1uI l.,
labor produces, and to maintain demo-
cratic government and liberty under
which to enjoy that wealth.
The American international Cor
poration and the National City bank
of New York are the two biggest con-
Germs which have undertaken to grab
Latin-America, investing there the bill
lions of wartime profits that have
piled up in this country during the
past two years.
Follow Commercial Giants.
They propose TO create in South and
Central America n sort of semi-slav-
cry of the workers, under strictly
scientific efficiency" systems of man
driving, and so to wiring the lazy dol
lar out of the toll of the unorganized
wage earners of these countries. The
Pan-American Federation of Labor
proposes to follow them everywhere
with labor organizers and industrial
and political agitation. raising the
standard of living and compelling
them to meet the demands of the ma
tive workers as they have been COM
PEELED TO meet the fundamental de-
mands Of the workers in the United
States.
Just as the Federation Of Miners
followed the copper companies into
Mexico, so the work Of this giant COM
bination of the labor movements will
follow the commercial giants beyond
the Caribbean and past the equator.
New Labor Disputes Plan.
The United States supreme court
saw its shadow when il met on jan
uary 26, so the decision as to the con-
stitutionality of the Adamson eight
hour law is put off until the end of
this month.
Meanwhile, the hammcring upon the
doors of congress by the labor move
ment of the country has been effective.
Committees in both the house and SEN
ate have now reported bills providing
for investigation without compulsory
delay of strikes, in the event Of indus
trial disputes on railroads. They stip-
ulate that when the existing mediation
and conciliation board fails to settle
dispute, one representative each of
the companies and the employees shall
be added to the board and this en-
larged board shall report within three
months on the facts, with recommen-
dations according to the merits and
substantial justice" Of the case.
OF course the militarist hysteria is
reflected in these bills. They provide
for n draft OF all railway employees
and seizure of the roads, together with