The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-08-23
AMERICAN ORGANIZED WORKERS
CRUSADERS FOR LABOR LIBERTY
Their Aim Is Combat the Exploitation of Latin
Labor by Profteers and Trusts.
(By Santiago Iglesias.)

(By Santiago Iglesias.)
When President Gompcfs APP
pointed commission to go to Mex.
leo to confer with the represent.
tives of the workers of the Repub.
lie of Mexico, he said: eve must
safeguard as far as it is possible
the principles of autonomy, indie.
pendence and democracy in Pan.
American countries from open or in
siduious attempts of autocratic
forms of government"
We know that since the opening
of the Panama canal there has been
a growing realization that there will
soon exist closer political, economic
and social relations between the la
Dor movements of the Western
hemisphere. AS is well known, the
capitalists of North America and
some Europe ancountries in combi-
nation with financial interests and
officials of the various governments
are scattering millions and millions
of dollars through Latin-America
acquiring concessions and business
properties which are disposed of to
them by Latin-American politicians
and spectators without taking into
consideration the needs and rights
of the masses of the people, the
masses of the people who by these
transactions have their future en-
dangered for decades and perhaps
centuries.
If the employers and capitalists of
Pan-America thus unite for the pro-
lection of their common advantage,
it becomes all the more evident that
the wage earners of these countries
must also unite for their common
protection and betterment.
Out of all the chaotic mixings,
strivings and plottings of the
money trnst and profiteers of the
nation with conflicts forced upon the
Latin-American peoples, one sees
steadily emerging and growing the
desire to control the governments
because of the promised power and
wealth to be won out of cheap labor
and even more cheap land.
The conventions of the American
Fedora ION of Labor in recent years
passed resolutions and gave au-
thority to President Samuel Com
pers and its Executive Council to
organize Pan-American Fedora
ton of Labor in order to unite all
The labor movements of the Latin
Republics with the great labor
movement of this nation and to in
still true conception of the value
of human life, and to make human
relations the chief concern of these
international relations.
During the year of 1915 the first
PAM American financial conference
took place in Washington with the
purpose of considering better finan-
cial, industrial and commercial re-
lations and the development of the
national resources of the countries
of the Western hemisphere. The
delegates to this conference repre-
sented all the great financial, in
dustrial and commercial interests, of
Latin-American countries, the
steamship companies, the mines, the
sugar, the tobacco, the banks, rail
roads, and telephones, and all the
great corporations. That conference
dealt with matters and policies that
were to be of a far-reaching conse-
quence, not only in international re-
lations between the American-Latin
Republics but the internal develop
ment of the same countries. Presi-
dent Gompers at that time stated:
at requires no great imagination
or discernment to understand that
these able representatives of the in
terests would so plan and manipu-
late conditions ard events, that the
great corporate interests of the va
rious countries would be in posi-
ton to control, not only the indus
tries and commerce within their own
countries, but international regula-
tions for commerce and industry. In