Evening star., 1919-11-10
PRO[0NG|NG STRIKE
!. BLAMED ON LEWIS.
Gompers and Attorney Gen.
eral Were Near Agreement,
Lawrence Holds.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.

Responsibility for the continuance
OF the coal strike rests upon one
man-John L. Lewis, acting president
of the United Mine Workers of Amer
ica Conferences between Samuel
Gompers, president of the American
Federation of Labor. and Attorney
General Palmer had proceeded to the
point where-an. was almost
reached and needed only the approval
the settlement.
Mr.: Gompers was looking at the
question from the broad point of view
OF the advantage or disadyantaee ro
laoor as a whole in the present con-
t!roversy. He wanted to see, the in
junction proceedings dismissed ha-
cause of the vital precedent that if
was about to establish. and evidently
tnougnt that a resembling of . the
strike order in the coal fields was NOT
too great a price to pay.
But Mr.. Lewis thought otherw;.a
since he looked at the question from
the point OF view of the miners and
MS own relationship to the strike
a knowledge that should he falter in
the course he had outlined for him
sell his own standing with the miners
might be imperiled
Boring From Within"
So the statement issued by the
American Federation of Labor de-
nouncing the injunction proceedines
at indianapolis and declaring that the
American Federation thought the coal
strike justified and would put all its
power and resources behind said
strike must be viewed in the light of
Nrid 10 Hyso
torney General and Mr. Gompers.
They reveal what has been all too
apparent in Washington in recent
months, namely. that Samuel Gompers
is afraid he may lose his job and that
the boring from Within" which will
liam 2. Foster of the steel strikers
urged upon his colleagues of the l.
w. w. faith, in asking them to get
on the inside of the American Fedora
tion of Labor, is at last having its
effect.
The apprehension that unless the
conservatives like Mr.. Gompers are
permitted to .retain control of labor
upper hand and bring industrial chaos
has seized the men in the high offices
of the American Federation OF Labor.
1t cannot be dismissed merely as
desire on their part to retain political
power inside the big organization, as
they have done for SO many years,
but there is every reason to believe
that Messrs. Gompers. Morrison. Woll
and others also are absolutely con-
vinced that the best service they can
render the country in the present
crisis is to preserve solidarity In the
ranks of labor and hold the radicals
in check from within.
Sees Little Success by Gompers.
But the evidence to date would
seem to Indicate that Mr.. Gompers
and his associates are having little
success. The test came first in the
steel strike, when Mr.. Gompers ad-
mittedly failed to prevent the strike.
which he himself disapproved. His
efforts last week at the Department
of Justice were predicated on the as
sumption that he could influence the
Judgment of the leaders of the miners,
but that, too, has gone by the board
SO that government officials are won
dering how much power Mr.. Gompers
has in the ranks Of labor.
They were not, therefore, disposed
| to become unduly excited over the
! statement issued by the executive
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