Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-06-10
G0mberS Fights To Saue
American Labor as Reds
Scheme To GRASP Control

\ doption of a resolution expressing
| some degrees of sympathy for the So
viets and the Lenine-Trotzky govern
ment?
These are the big questions which
are agitating the labor leaders who
have inside knowledge of the probable
developments at the Atlantic City con-
vention of the American Fedef ration OF
/ Labor.
The old line leaders are sure that
they will be able to squelch any symp-
toms of Bolshevism that may be dis
played at the convention, but at the
same time, there is an atmosphere of
anxiety and tension among the dele
gates arriving to attend the various
pre-convention conferences such as I
have new known to exist at any
previous A. i. of J.. convention.
Much concern is being expressed
by some of the leaders as to whether
Samuel Gompers. after his arduous
labors in Paris on the International
Labor Commission, and after the sew
ere shock of his recent automobile ac-
cident, will be able to stand the strain
of two weeks constant battling with
the unruly Reds of the convention.
This concern il not only for Gompers
personally. hut il is a recognition of
the fact that if Gompers should break
down there is no n among the con-
servative leaders who could step in
to his place and WELD the gavel with
the same dominant effectiveness.
But Gompers is looking fine and
says he never felt better or more fl.
for a knockout and drag out fight with
his old enemies, the socialists.
Gompers is no longer young. but
when a man hates anything as much
as Gompers hates B~olshevism. social
ism and syndicalism. his fighting spir-
it is likely to carry him through TO "A
finish, even though his body may
weaken.
or all the questions which are ex-
pected to cause heated debates and
spirited dissensions, the only one
which seems to me likely to split the
convention wide open and perhaps
cause a revolution in the traditional
policy of the American labor move
ment is the Mooney strike. Gompers
and the other conservative leaders are
strongly in favor of securing a new
trial for Tom Mooney, but they are
unalterably opposed to the use of the
general strike as a means of correct
ing even those political and judicial
injustices against which they most bit
terly protest. They hold that the
American labor movement is an &C.
onomic weapon and hat it will be dis
astrous to the American labor move
ment to use the strike for political
purposes.
AS a matter of theory this is prob
ably also the attitude of h rank and.
file of American trade unions, but in
this case they feel that Mooney is an
innocent man and has been condemn
ed by a gross perversion of justice.
They are so much for Mooney hat
they have thrown their theories to the
winds and in the strike vote of Local
unions throughout the United States,
which has just been counted in h
cago, they have gone on record z to l
in favor of all workers. skilled and
unskilled. to begin July 4th and o n
tinue until a new trial has been grant
ed to Mooney.
With such an overwhelming vote,
Gompers and the conservatives may
control of the convention, and if
the convention gets out of control on
the Mooney case there is nc telling
it will stop.