The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1919-06-13

Washington, John Fitzpatrick,
president of the Chicago Federation
of Labor, has written letter to Os-
wald Garrison Willard, publisher of
the Nation, denying statements made
in an article recently published in the
Nation and written by George r West
The article in question was an at
tack on the policies Of the American
Federation of Labor and on the work
President Gompers and other FEEDER
alton leaders. West declared that
Fitzpatrick began organizing the steel
workers after faint hearted" efforts
on the part of Gompers and Frank
Morrison had left only a record of
'humiliating failure
"It was John Fitzpatrick and his
associates" said West, who organ
lied 10000 packing house employees
last year"
Fitzpatrick letter is made public
in the current issue of the American
Federationist and is as follows
Ftzpatrick's Reply.
"In your issue of Saturday, April
9Th, / read the article under the head
lin win Labor Lead?' by George p
West. Mr.. West under takes to fore
tell what will happen in the conven-
tion of the American Federation of
Labor which viii be held in Atlantic
City next month, because of the
launching of the Labor Party in Chi
cago and Illinois.
"Mr. West overlooked the consti-
tuition of the A. F of L., which pro-
vides that partisan politics shall not
be discussed in the conventions of
the A. F. of L. One would assume
from Mr. Vests article that the
Chicago Federation of Labor and the
are in open revolt against the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor because they
have taken an active part in organ
izing the Labor Party
"The fact is, that while the A. F. of
l.. debars political discussion in its
own conventions, it does not prevent
State branches and city central bod
les from exercising their own judge
ment in the premises. The A. F. of
l.. does not undertake to control the
activities of the members of affiliat-
ed organizations in matters of poll
tics. The A. F. of L. has prescribed
laws in it's own constitution to keep
politics out of the A. F. of l.. con
ventions and that is exactly what the
Chicago and Illinois Federations of
Labor are attempting in helping to
organize the Labor Party,
Our political activities in the fu-
ture will be in the Labor Party and not
in the Central Body or the State con-
vention; these organizations will be
free, just like the A. F. of L., to con-
tinue to perform the functions for
which they were created.
Questions His information.
81 don't know where Mr.. West got
his information in regard to the cam
paign to organize the packing indus
try. I wish he had looked into the
methods employed in this undertaking
He would find that the net result Of
this wonderful achievement was be.
cause President Gompers got in his
licks and blows just at the most cri
tical and opportune moments. 1t is
true that President GomIers did mo-
| do the detail work-that was our par
Il but he directed and advised anC
eventually outgeneraled the opposition
II There is not man or woman wh'
Il took an active part in this campaign
who will gainsay that when we ha'
a lost cause upon our hands Presiden
II Gompers took over the situation an'
II within six hours had the six big pack
II ers upon the defensive.
II "The same must be said in regar'
II to the steel campaign, but in this IN
u stance President Gompers threw tn