Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-15
REDS ATTEMPT TO SEIZE
MOONEY LA0( R MEETING
/. w. w. Insist on World Wide
Strike of Protest; Hun
Spies Prominent.

| Chicago. Jan t5-An attempt by the
| l. ". w. to get control Of the National
| Labor Congress, with the apparent In
| tention of inhaming workers everywhere
| TO start general strike for the purpose OF
freeing Thomas J Mooney. was the
| feature of the opening session of the
| congress yesterday
Only trades unions were invited to send
! delegates to the meeting, which was called
by the International Defence League to
decide upon plan Of action to obtain new
trials for Mooney and Warren X, Billings,
now serving life terms for murder IN con
nccticn with the bomb explosion In San
Francisco on Preparedness day, July %,
1916
Nevertheless many l. W W leaders
who have been irving to make capital for
themselves out of the Mooney agitation
demanded that they be seated. and in this
demand several hundred Socialists cventu-
ally joined
Among the Socialists in attendance
were Adolph Germcr. national secretary
cf the party. and the Rev Irwin 81. John
Tucker, both recently convicted of violat-
ing the espionage law Germer later
WAS seated rs n delegate from a local Of
the United Mine Workers.
Although seats were denied the radicals
they refused to leave the hall and attempt
cd 10 participate in the proceedings
Apparently they intend to continue their
fight at every session Of the three day con-
vention They will. II is said, work for
the passage Of a resolution favoring a
general labor strike
The international Workers Defence
League IN planning the congress wanted
the discussion confined 10 tho Mooney
case. but Bolsheyism and many other sub
lccts will nc considered hy the meelna
If the radicals carry out their pan
Altl 'gh the conservative element won
in the tlrst clash TODAY there seems to he
considerable doubt whether they will 10
able to control tho action Of The convention
throughout
The trouble started when John !. Iitz-
patrick president Of the Chicago Federa-
tion Of Ianor. after Welcoming the dele
gates. attempted ointreducc I. ID Nolan,
secretary y-trcarurcr ~ the International
Workers Defence League. as the permanent
chairman ot The meeting There were
loud protests from the radicals who in
sisted that the convention select its own
chairman
Finally II Was agreed that Nolan should
act IS temporary chairman and + r Ault
of Seattle was chosen temporary secretary
Chairman Nolan reviewed the work done
bv International Workers Defence League
IN behalf of Mooney and advised that the
remedy Of calling general strike be not
used except after every other means had
failed He suggested Federal lnterven-
4 ON or tho passage of necessary laws in
California authorizing the setting aside Of
unjust vcriicts Is remedies
The delegates loudly chccrcd every
men' ion Of the general delegate strike
Trouble was renewed when the Gre
dentials committee asked whether dclc-
gates from the Socialist party and the
/. ". W sent without invitation should
ic seated Chairman Nolan said ii was
the intention % confnc the member
ship OF the congress 10 delegates from !
trades unions
Seig Schulberg Of San Francisco
spoke in favor Of excluding radicals.
Finally he shook his fist At a Socialist
and shouted:
You never worked a day in your
life and we want YOU and vour kind to
get out You fellows wa nj to rum this |
Socialists and members Of the " "
insisted on speaking and declared that |
they had done more than organized |
la',or To arouse public interest IN the |
Mooney case. After turbulent wranglc !
Of nearly an hour, Chairman Nolan
put the motion 10 exclude the Socialists
and " W, and declared II carried |
~ viva voice vote There was roar
81 dlsapproval, but attempts 10 appeal
rom the decision Of the chair were howled /
down
". Bourke Cochran of New York, |
eounseI for Mooney, then addressed the
delegates He praised President vii |
sons labor policies and made a violent
lttack on the administration of justice
II the courts