Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-10

| in the main during the intervening yeas
in way to justify the confidence nf al
fair-minded men in the integrity OF its
| purposes and in the unfaItering lo-any
of its mem bership.
A new issue has arisen since 1917, and
that is whether the Federation of Labor
shall align itself with the BoIshevistS
and the |. W. W. in the prosecution Of
war upon all ranks Of society not at1I-
lated with the federation. The extreme
radicals are prepared to fight for the
control of the organization.
The enormous increase in membership
in the last two years makes it difficult
for any one to forecast the outcome, for
no one knows the exact temper Of the
new members. In 1917 the jurisdiction
of the federation extended over about
100000 working men. There are now
1920 900 members. more than half mil
lion of whom have been taken into the
organization within the last year.
The radicals are on the ground and
are actively working to carry their
points. They are asking that a nation
wide strike be ordered on July so that
the employers may be impressed with
the power of the organization. They are
demanding that labor party be formed
for the purpose of securing by legisla-
tion special privileges for workingmen.
They are urging that the federation be
reorganized into twelve unions, repre-
senting twelve different groups of allied
trades. in order. by tying up the whole
| industry involved, to- make strikes more
| effective.
Mr.. GomperS and John Mitchell and
! their associates in the federation have in
the past opposed every attempt to tie the
! organization up with any political party
| They have insisted that workingmen
would gain more from the regularly or
ganZed parties composed of all kinds of
citizens than from a party of one idea
composed of only one group of voters
! They have objected to tying up labor
organization with politics because ex-
| perience has proved that such an organi-
cation will split on the rock of the differ
ent political opinions of its members on
matters not directly connected with
! labor. They have not forgotten that the
| collapse of the Knights of Labor came
soon after it became politically active as
a party organization.
Under Mr.. GomperS the federation has
consistently confined itself to a labor
| program intended to secure fair hours
and fair pay for the workers and ade-
quate protection for those injured in the
course of their employment. Social and
| - i, ,
upon when urged by /. W. W. sympa-
thizers or extreme Socialists Herein
has been the strength of this great BODY
of men. They have made mistakes and
they have been misunderstood at times.
yet Mr.. Taft stated the case very well
when he said in the PUBLIC LEDGER that:
The business men of this country cannot
be told too often that the proper course for
them to pursue, and conserving patriotic
course, is in friendship for the labor unions
under leadership of the American Fedora
| lion of Labor. Failure to recognize the
power OF conservative patriotic labor union
| ism and TO express sympathy with 1t and a
| willingness to classify its leaders as asso-
dates of l. w W. ism, extreme socialism
| and boshevism. weaken the power of those
| leaders with their fellows and tend to
throw the whole labor movement under the
control OF the awless extremists
The strength of the labor movement il
America has hitherto lain in its gen
eral singleness of purpose. This is
democracy in which the will of the ma
iority prevails. The workingman has
vote which is as powerful as the vote O
the richest employer. He knows tina
. when majority wishes anything with
the province of government that will
sure to be respected. 1t is not necessar
to organize for social revolution b
political methods, for the way to brin
| about any desired changes is provided j
D the constitution of the country itself.
e The radical wing of the America
: Federation of Labor acts as if it believe
: that political and industrial condition
here were similar to those in the mos
| undemocratic countries of Europe.
: If the new members of the federatio
E are genuine American citizens, uncol
, taminated by the teachings Of the rad