Denver labor bulletin., 1918-06-29
BIG UNIONS ARE DEMAND
ING MORE POWER IN
NATIONAL AFFAIRS.
Labor's War Standards and Poll
cies Strongly Set Forth in Con-
structive Resolutions; Will
Keep Up Fight Against
Child Slavery.
BY LAURENCE TODD
Especial Representative The Denver Labor

Especial Representative The Denver LaboF
BuIstin-)
WASHINGTON, June 24.-Presi-
dent Rickert of the United Garment
Workers of America has succeeded
President Perham of the Railway
Telegraphers on the executive coun-
ell Of the American Federation of La
Dor, and the place in the council held
for many years by James O'Connell
of the Machinists has been filled by
the election of General Secretary
changes are victories for the COM
bination of big unions that has come
to be known as the Indianapolis
crowd" They are defeats for the ad-
ministration, in the sense that Mr..
Gompers and his friends supported
Perham in the race against Rickert
and fought for James Wilson, presi-
dent of the Pattern Makers, against
Fischer. The Carpenters, Bricklay-
ers, Teamsters and mapority of the
United Mine Workers backed the win
ners in both cases.
The Indianapolis Idea"
The executive council is now made
up of five men who hold their offices
thru the support of the combination
of big unions whose headquarters are
in Indianapolis, and five who repre-
sent the administration, with one man
who may lean to either side. That
man is w. D. Mahon, head of the
Street and Electrical Railway EN-
ployes- 1t is his misfortune that he
must choose between the support of
the present administration and the
rapidly growing power which next
year will doubtless become the ruling
element in the council. His organiza-
ton depends for its strength very
largely upon the local aid of all
unions, and to become 6 balance of
power in the executive council must
be decidedly embarrassing for him.
On the one side are President CON-
pers, Secretary Morrison and Vice
Presidents Duncan, Valentine and AL
pine. On the other side are Treasurer
Tobin and Vice-Presidents Green,
Duffy, Rickert and Fischer. Upon
general policies they will agree, but
upon one issue they cannot agree. The
Indianapolis idea" is that the big
unions must grow bigger, gradually
absorbing their neighbors among the
lesser unions, while the officers of the
bigger internationals must have more
and more to say about the running of
the Federation. President Gompers
represents an International that is
ubiCtSChAn siLc auloUe luOSt WHICH
had delegates at the St Paul conven-
ton His strength is among the small
and medium sized organizations.
Some of the Big Ones
In this convention the United Mine
Workers had 4,1S4 votes, the Carpen-
ters 2,67S, the Machinists I 1,4S6, the
Ladies' Garment Workers S95, the
Painters s45, the Street Railway En-
ployes 1856. the Transfers 729. the
Bricklayers 700, the Cooks and Wait
ers $50, the Musicians $50, the Typo
graphical 633, the Boilermakers 555,
the Electrical Workers 544, the Rail-
way Carmen 5S4. the Molders 500, the
United Garment Workers 459, the
Textile Workers 459, the Brewery
Workers $50, the Cigarmakers 395, the
BARRIERS SS4, the Seamen S71, the Hod
Carriers S67, the Shoe Workers 1858,
the Pressmen $40. the Railway Teleg-
raphers SS7 and the Plumbers 500.
Those were the unions having over
$4,000 membership each. In all, there
were 80 internationals represented,
out of Ill affiliated with the A. F.
of L. A few Of the organizations con-
trolled majority of the $4,000 votes
Swallow Up Little Fellows.
Jurisdictional disputes taken up
during the convention resulted in
gains for the Carpenters at the ex-
pense of the Structural Iron Work
ers. for the Machinists from the Flint
Glass Workers, for the Amalgamation
of the Tile LaySrs with the Bricklay-
ers, and the Plmalgamation of the
Mule Spinners and the Lace Opera
tives with the United Textile Work.
ers. The Steam Engineers were or
dered to amalgamate with the Steam
Shovel and Dredgmen, the Lithograph-
ers were compelled to amalgamate
with the Printing Pressmen and the
Photo -Engravers. The dispute be-
tween the Machinists and the Flint
Glass Workers was, as In eleven past
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