The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1918-07-19
CONCERNING LABOR'S NEED OF
INTERNATIONAL FEEDER RATION
Spread of Msnfomaton Due to Dearth of Official Records,
Delegates Told st. Paul Conventional. Labor Urged
Send Men Abroad.

ilJCtH ppCIldIIS lOI IdDOI dpSioJ
Two sections of the report of the
Recent American Federation of La
Dor Mission to Great Britain and
France deal with questions involving
the future activities of the trade
union movement here and abroad.
One section recommends that the
American Federation of Labor main
tain two representatives abroad dur
ing the period of the war In ad
dition to this the mission recon-
mended that President Gompers be
asked to undertake a trip abroad at
the earliest moment. Both of these
recommendations were concurred in
by the American Federation of La
Dor convention just held in st. Paul.
The other section of the report fall
ing in this classification deals with
the question of an international
Federation of Labor-a purely trade
union organization.
Because of their importance and
their relation to the war these two
sections are given here in full, to-
gether with portion of the report
dealing with the effect of the Mis-
sion's work abroad. In this portion
of the report it is declared that the
pronouncements Of the inter-alied
conference held in London in Feb
ruary are well known to the Ger
man leaders.
The sections of the report refer
red to follow:
international Federation Of Trade
Unions
During the conferences held in
London and Paris with representa-
tiyes Of the labor movement and in
private conversation with many of
The leaders in both countries. ref
ercnce was made to the many exist
ing conditions waich could only be
adequately met through the re-estab-
fishing Of an effective International
Federation of Labor.
an both countries it was the un-
animous opinion that It should be
reestablished in a neutral country.
At present there exists an unfortun-
ate dearth of official records of the
several national trade union move
ments and owing to this it has been
possible for politicians and the par.
tisan and general press to spread
much misinformation among the
workers relative to the attitude OF
of trade union leaders, and official
policies.
There is crying need for much
greater international exchange OF
trade union information, experience
and ideas, which can only be accom-
plished satisfactorily through a GEN.
trail international trade union bu-
reau or secretary. Such an interna.
tional center is also most essential
so that greater stability and unity
Of purpose may be established. In
Great Britain and upon the Euro.
pean Continent there exists today
among the workers more or less
joint industrial and political move
ment, the French workers having
the joint committee of the Confed-
Grafton General du Travail and the
Socialist party, while the British
workers in their Labor party include
Socialist groups such as the indie
pendent Labor party, National So
cialist party, British Socialist party
and the Fabian Society.
while these Socialist groups
work with the trade unions political
ly they maintain their separate af-
filiation with the International So
cialist organization.
"Our European trade union broth
ers are the best judges of what
their political activities should be
and what affiliations, political OF
otherwise, which this should include
but the existing condition tends new
ertheless to emphasize the urgent
necessity for a purely international
trade union federation at which the
industrial problems can be given am
pie consideration entirely apart
from any political movements or con-
siderations.
at is unsafe and unsound to pas
sively contemplate the influences
eXerted upon the trade union move
ment in the great industrial nations
of the world by political leaders
however sincere they may be, whose
viewpoint and experiences are those
Of the theorist and politician. The
policies and programs of the workers
must be formulated by the workers
themselves, acting through their in
dustrial organizations, if their best
interests are to be conserved