The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-07-06
UNION LABOR DENIES RESPONSIBILITY FOR FEAST ST. LOUIS RIOT
Statement Issued by Negro Organization of Boston Is Branded as False by
 Morrison

e7~s Washington, July 5.-Charges that la bor unions were responsible for the East a St Louis race riots drew an emphatic !, denial today from Frank Morrison, sec $ retary of the American Federation of La hor, who, in the absence of President Gompers, issued formal statement on the subject.
 a.5i Mir. Morrison made public telegram 4:s-received today from Victor Olander, sec H retary-treasurer of the Illinois Federation E of Labor which has been forwarded as the American Federation of Labors reply e-;fo message from the Boston branch of the Equal Rights league. The telegram follows:
 STATEMENT ISSUED
 Press dispatches allege Negro Equal Rights leagues of Boston has telegraphed to you charging trade unionists with re- sponsbility for East St. Louis riots. Any such charge is viciously untrue. It was the East St. Louis Central Labor Coun- cil, including local shaving negroes in membership that requested the nvesti- gaton by the state council of national zf defense following the disorders in May That investigation showed that southern negroes had been misled by false adver- tisements and interruptions employment agents to come to East St. Louis in such numbers that they could not secure either sis work or decent living quarters.
 asa The effect to make acute the explorations of labor. both negro and ~iWhite, and to seriously disarrange so- cial as well as economic, conditions and to arouse bitterness on all sides.
 The Chamber of Commerce was +d5urged by one of it's own officers weeks !asago to use it's influence against the sl campaign of misrepresentation ana false promises responsible for the in- -T.s flux, but the chamber took no action.
 It is shocking to me that such or M ganization as the alleged Negro Equal Rights league have little or nothing smsto say about the fraud practiccd against negroes by interruptions em- ploying interests; that such associa- tions remain discretly silent while southern negroes are cheated into sleaving their homes for northern cities and town already overcrowded, exhibit ~~no concern regarding miserable living and working conditions which many f.negroes are forced to endure under hs such circumstances and offer no pro- .stest against vicious exploitations of labor through which blacks and whites suffer alike.
 ~ STRIVING TO ORGANIZE M The Illinois trade union movement is striving to organize the workers of both races. Many of our local unions have negro members, some exclusively, and negro delegates attend our conventions and central bodies, but I have not learned of a single instance here where such associations as the Negro Equal Rights league has aided or encouraged negro workers to join together for the purpose of. self-help in trade unions to prevent explorations to secure recogni- tion of economic rights, to obtain inn provements in working conditions, shorter hours or better wages. -5.z-'sOn behalf of the Illinois state fed eration of labor and its entire member ship of both races, I protest against the rank injustice of the charge alleged to have been made by the league and characterize that charge as unqualifedly false and untrue"