Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-08-27
G0MPERS PRAISES
GOOD RESULTS Of
UNION CONGRESS
Head of A, F, of |, on Return
From Europe Says Efforts
to SOCialize Unions Have all
Been ThWarted.

tsY MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wiFEl
New York, Aug 26.-Declining to
discuss current labor problems in de-
tail on the ground that he had not
had time to familiarize himself with
them during his absence abroad
Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor, VINO
arrived there from France on the
transport George Washington today,
said that he wished to make PLAIN
that he did not come home to I'M
tefere with the program of labor, bui
to help my fellow laborers,'
MIR. Gompers, who has been attend
ing the sessions of the international
trades union congress at Amsterdam,
declared that the employers of labor
have not vet learned that the time is
past when they are the complete mon
archs of all they survey"
Certainly" he added men and
women who work must have a voice
in determining conditions under
which they shall give their labors."
Questioned by reporters, the labor
leader begged to be excused from
commenting on the presidents state
ment on the merits of the railroad
shoLmen's demands, the actors strike,
the Plumb plan for the nationalist
ton of railroads and the proposed
steel workers strike, on the ground
that he had not had time to study
them. He admitted. that urgent tele-
grams from Washington, whose
source he would not divulge, prompt
ed him TO hasten his return home by
at least week.
Tonight Mr., Gompers issued state
ment on the Progress of Labor at
the International Trades Union con-
gress convention, in which he said
that the congress for the first time
approXimated the democratic concep-
ton of genuine internationalism.'
The new organization is already
something more than mere frame
work" Mr.. GomperS said. at has al
ready taken firm and unmistakable
attitude on what is perhaps the graV-
est problem of this critical hours
organized labor to be inveigled into
the revolutionary movements that
have been showing their heads in
every country of Europe as a result
of the WARP?
Abiding to the overwhelming de-
feat by the congress of resolution
calling for organized labor's support
tinued:
Radicals Are Repudiated.
"The defeat of this proposition
means the definite and final repudia-
ton by the organized labor of Europe
and America, not only of Bolshevism
but of the whole effort to involve la
Dor unions in international revolution
airy movements of any kind. 1t is true
that the majority of the delegates
profess more or less socialistic doc
trines, but they have finally and defl-
nitely repudiated the persistent ana
ceaseless efforts of the socialist par
ties to utilize the unions for reVolu-
tionary cataclysm"
Mr. Gompers characterized the re-
cent socialist proposal for an interna-
tional and revolutionary strike
throughout Europe and America last
July as near Boshevism" and eX-
pressed his satisfaction that the Ia
Dor unions in every country of Europe
turned it down with the partial excep-
ton of Italy. "This proposed general
strike" he declared, was the last
hope of the oBolsheviki and other
revolutionists in western Europe and
proved an absolute fizzle."
AT Amsterdam continued the
statement, the near-Bolshevik type
of socialists were represented by the
so-called Free Trade Unions of Ger
many with $4,000 members, and the
national secretariat of Holland with
$4,000 members. THE two organiZa-
tons together represented 10000 out
of a total of 17,74O,00 labor unionists
represented. These figures accurately
represent the relative force of labor
unionism and Boshevism in the Eu-
ronaap lahor union movement"