New-York tribune., 1919-06-21
Resolution of Adoption is
Amended to State That
Federation Doesn't DENY
Right of Irish To Be Free
Furuseth in Opposition
Compers Defends Covenant
Against Seamen's Chief;
Repeal of Spy Act Urged
Staff CORRESPONDENCE,

ALLAN LIZ Vi Juuc GV.- uc COIl'
yention Of the American Federation o1
Labor this afternoon voted approval
Of the principle of the league Of ma
tious after an amendment had beer
tackled on to the recommendation OF
the committee on international rela.
tons that such approval must not be
construed as in any way denying the
right of the Irish people to freedom
To the amendment there was no oppo-
sition. For the recommendation of ap.
proval as amended 29,75o votes were
cast to 400 against.
The vote approving the principle OF
the league was had after a four-hour
debate, in which Samuel Gompers
pleaded for the adoption of the COM
mittee's recommendation and a cable
gram from President Wilson was read
In this message Mr.. Wilson admitted
that the labor clauses in the treaty
have been weakened, but not enough to
prevent its being workable magma
charta. Mr.. Gompers cabled for de-
tails of the labor provision early in the
week. Mr.. Wilson said he would send
them, but expressed doubt that they
would arrive in time for the conven-
ton. They have not yet arrived.
The debate on the league was bitter
at times, although the acceptance by
the committee on resolutions Of the
Irish amendment offered by Frank J.
bate and more i'll feeling. in the debate,
Andrew Furuseth, leader of the sea-
men in Union, was the chief spokes-
man for the opposition. For the league
the chief speaker was Mr.. Gompers,
who accused Furuseth of first approx
ing the labor provisions of the league
and then, without notice to the Aner-
can labor envoys, writing Mr.. Wilson in
opposition to it. He also accused Fur
useth Of having opposed declaration
IN favor of free Cuba in 1897, and with
having predicted disaster when the fed
Grafton, March /, 1917, declared it's
purpose of supporting the country in
the war 1t was about to enter.
Approval of League Urged
The league came before the conven.
tlon IN the form of a report by Matthew
Wol, secretary of the Committee on
International Relations. In this report
the committee said:
I'VE agree with the executive coun-
Gil that the treaty er1bodying the cove
nant of the league of nations is not a
perfect document, and that perfection
is not claimed for it. Your COMMITTEE e
agrees that it marks the nearest ap-
proach to perfection that has ever been
reached II the international affairs of
MANKIND It is calculated and does
provide the best machinery yet de-
vised for the prevention of war It
provides that international disputes
between nations shall be settled in the
calm hight OF reason and justice rather
than by the arbitrament of war. with
the consequent slaughter of precious
human lives and the destruction of un-
told wealth.
NO human being in the possession
OF MS normal senses can deny the
ADOPTION OF measure that will tend
10 prevent the indescribable horros of
another world war Civilization must
turn to a point where international
disputes will be settled in the calm
iight OF reason rather than by repeti
tion OF the horrors of war we have lust
witnessed. While the covenant of the
ieague OF nations is not perfect, is not
si mat we desire, it is in the right
direction. g - '
For the reasons stated and a null
be adopted in principle, and we so
recommend. 0o
"e further recommend that the
executive Council be authorized and
u'recled TO aid IN every way the hold
ing OF the international labor congress
winch under the treaty will be held
IN Washington during October, 1918"
super-Legislature, Says Furuseth
The reading, concluded, Furuseth i'm
nmedlately took the floor. He began
ny telling how hard he had struggled
~ an endeavor to bring himself to
treaty, or remain silent. He could
not, he said, bring himself to the
point where he would accept without
protest the diluted labor measures
lhe President had found himself com
pelled to accept"
>. ine league, he continued, took juris-
action over the daily lives of working
people throughout the world, and is
se' up as the sole judge Of what may
DC reasonable and just for them.
~, 49,, said he, "a super-legisla-
He said the treaty was peculiar in
that it contains no PROVISION vision, for or
amendment or remuneration once it is
approved He asserted that by its
terms labor was disposed OF in much
we same manner that the srppress on
VI disease or the opium traffic j dis
posed Of
n protested against these things in
raris," said Furuseth. "My protest
was taken TO Colonel House, who
agreed that the changes wanted were
sumo an dproper. My colleagues left
a. once. When I had returned from
seeing them off the fat was in the fire.
a professor had got mixed in and up
ses tne whole proposition.
~ Know now the American delegates
p. prst. Gompers called this thing
frankenstein."
Recalls Japanese Troubles
M Furuseth criticised the labor pro-
s.ssions OF the league on the ground
ssist sney could not be used to level
@ .aeor downward. He had doubts of the
sS.ely of the seamen's law under it's
rsoYisions. He also objected on the
s..aha that the British Empire has "a
,pees IN the labor conference TO 4 Of
me United States.
n sne labor conference in Paris. ne
vr.a,. provision against slavery was
.td scsed down. as was antoher in favor Of
bss .,sanan's bill. After the Americans
h. leit, the others declared labor TO
oe eommodity.
rofnseth went onto recall the jap
49, troubles on the Pacific Coast and
III our how, under the treaty with
rAh, tns State Of California had been