New-York tribune., 1918-01-24
Acts After Charge. !,
Gompers and Otbe.
Labor Leaders
Pacihst Unions
Favored, Was Cla;,
Woman Member Said :.
Have Publicly Opposed
the Draft
IStof Correspondence

1s-ASSsJNGTc.T, Jan. 2s-r,,
of Control of aLbor stand.ss D's''
Army Uniforms was dissolved bv s ss,.. W.
tary Baker to-day, following cbs,oss - .,
discrimination against unio,s So =.
with the American Federation Of lsso raha
Samuel Gorpers and other ,asss-
made the charges The boards an.;a
are placed, by Secretary Baker, o,.,1-
IN the hands of the Quartcrrnaster Csn
eral. WIZ
Officers Of the United Garment vo,l
crs, subsidiary Of the Federatio,
the Amalgamated Clothing Worker,
Union, which, they charge, is identsed
with pacifist movements on the r.,.
Side of New York; has been favored ~
the retiring board at the expense a..
the United Workers.
In addition to these charges The.
loyal unionists were being d;scrn;n
ated against in favor of what ,hsy
termed "the American Bolsheveki.r n,
board was charged with holding up II.
supply Of uniforms through this polc
OF discrimination and with being 4.
that extent responsible for much Of II.
suffering and sickness from exposure il,
the various cantonmeats.
No Charge Against kruese
The board as constituted was MAD.
un OF three persons, Captain Kruese. 0.
the Quarternaster's Department: Mrs
Florence Kelly, nominalv the recre.
sentative of organized labor, and Loui;
+ Kristen, q retail dry gooas dealer Of
Boston. Against Captain kruese 10
complaint was made, Representatives o,
organized labor and manufacturer,
agreeing that he kept aloos from the
union dispute and insisted on nothing
but that every facility be used to speed
up the production of uniforms.
Mrs. Kelly, on the other hand was
declared TO be openly favorins the so.
called paciiiSt organization. and Nv
Kristen, who was accused ce having
warred on the United Garment Work.
ers in Boston, was said TO be siding
with her. L; was specifically charged
that the majority, after approving cor.
tracts with the New York firm Of
oo~an q Co, union shop, refused 10
approve an additional emergency COZ
tract for $4,000 overcoais after the a.
legged pac-.ist organization had attempt
ed to call a strike of It's employs. In
consequence the army, which had asked
that the contract for immediate deT-
cry be awarded, Went without the gar
nents, it is alleged
Mrs. kelly's organization, The Ma
tional Consumers League. was also de-
clared not TO be representative of or
gained labor. but, on the contrary, To
De an organization behind whose abel
manufacturers unfriendly to organized
labor found cover. In support o.
charges of pacsfist affiliation against
Mrs. Kelly. union leaders cited
speech said to have been made by her
IN the Garden Theatre, New York, on
August 30, il which. it was alleged, she
denounced the draft.
Democracy is dead" she was quoted
as saying to her audience of women,
and you are its widows If you are
loyal mothers you will don black for
the breakfast table tomorrow and con-
tlnue TO wear black until the draft &C.
IS repealed
Garment Workers Protested
The effect of this alleged dscrimiHa-
ton in the garment industry was the
holding of mass meetings in New Ycrs
OF representativ of the 10000 Idle
members of the international Ladies
Garment Workers. Union. federation
body. whicn complained that il soldiers
shivered for lack OF uniforms, they
the workers, shivered for lack Of or
portunity to make them and thus earn
a livelihood.
Mr.. Baker made no menticn Of tie
charges against the board in his an
nouncement OF its abolition. merely as
serting shat it had been decided ate
a conference wish General Goethals
The army Uniform contract. compell!as
adherence to rules laid down by tns
board, had been changed to meet ta'
new condition, he added.
The abolition of the Board Of Cor
troll" said B. A. Larger. general sec
retary of the United Garment Worker;
Union, last night. spells the end Q.
Rolshevik rule in the making OF arns
uniforms. It also means that legl''
mate manufacturers. employing ua'o'
help and complying with every requl''
ment of the state labor laws. will nc.
in the future be dis riminatod agans'
in order that manufacturers who ma
be induced to do business with an Or
ganizat.on of paciists can get 'n'
business. >,
1T also means that no longer VII
manufs cturers of the highest standlns'
who, in order to help the governmen.
in this crisis, equip new plants .
heavy expense will be compelled to di''
mantle those plants"
ut is a body blow to the disloyaliss
who up to now have been favored y
the granting of work. while lOy''
workers union men and competent
have been forced 10 go cold and hungi;;
as the reward OF their loyalty" ss~
Chester II. Wright. of the Ameylean
Tor Labor and Democracy, 49,
night.
"If as l understand it, this Ords,
means the end Of pacitist domlns!loa
OF the trade, 1t will do more TO ciss'
up the East Side situation than 3d.
other thing done TO date"