The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-06-19
IMMIGRATION
AND RAILROADS
American Federation Of Labor
Convention Has Over Hun
dred Resolutions to
Act On. Z
INVESTIGATION URGED
Rail Managers are Charged With Run
ming UP Needless Expense to
Block Federal
Control.
INVESTIGATION URGED
[By Albin Q. Johnson, United Press
Staff CorrespOndent


Staff Correspondent
ATLANTIC CITY, n. j., June 10. -
The American Federation of Labor
convention today turned its attention
to the questions of immigration and
what shall be done with the rail
roads.
Peter Bolenbacher, of the Pennsyl
vania state federation of labor, as
serted that railroad managers were
attempting to make federal control
failure and running up needless ex-
penditures. He urged federal in
lvestigation.
A number of resolutions before the
convention advocated continuation Of
federal control of roads and eventual
government ownership.
The debate on immigration was ex-
pected to center chiefly about the
employment of Mexicans along the
border. Andrew Furuseth, Of San
Francisco, having charged that GER
tain American interests wanted to
carry the United States flag to the
Panama canal, the Mexican situation
seemed certain to be mixed up in The
immigration discussion Harry c..
Fox, of the Wyoming state fedora
ton, charging that employers We're
seeking to import cheap European
labor, said he would demand that the
convention launch campaign for
more strict immigration laws.
The case of the machinists' organi-
zation was due for settlement at this
session This organization was said
to have declined to recognize the
authority of the American federation
and several delegates sought to have
the convention reprimand it. The
machinists were declared to have
defied the federation on twelve diff
ferent occasions.
resolution urging that the gov
ernment Immediately undertake a
building program in order to alevi-
ate unemployment was ready for
action today.
Percy Thomas, deputy international
president of the striking telegraphers,
was here ready to seek the moral
support of the convention for the
strikers. Thomas did not confer with
President Gompers yesterday.
Gompers sat with the committee
preparing the executive councils re-
port until early this morning.
More than one hundred resolutions
remain to be acted on.
Three Years Restriction.
ATLANTIC CITY, n. j., June 49,
The American Federation of Labor
convention went on record today as
| favoring restriction Of immigration
from Europe for period of three
years.
The action followed a long debate,
in which various factions attempted
to obtain concessions in their favor.
Irish delegates sought exception of
ireland, while Seattle radicals inter
posed in favor of Russia. Secretary
Morrison, however, swept the con-
vention into concurrence with the
exclusion resolution by an appeal for
jobless soldiers and a declaration
that capital is seeking to import con-
tract labor.
Thomas Sweeney, of New York,
said that immigration does not cause
low wages, but rather the concen-
tration of wealth among a few. He
said that Texas alone could hold and
feed the world. Charles Summers,
of Kansas City declared that 1900
600 foreigners would return to
Europe during the present year, ac-
cording to government reports. An
drew Furuseth concluded speech
with the declaration:
'I pray God that congress will
pass restrictive immigration meas
ure before the league of nations is
adopted and we relinquish our SOW
ereignty forever"
The executive councils report con-
tended that the United States sI1.
preme court, together with national
and state courts, should have no
| power to pass upon the constitutions
atty of congressional enactments
and that state supreme courts should
have no authority to pass upon the
/ constitutionality of state legislature
enactments, except as such enact
ments are contrary to the national
constitution or national laws.
The convention approved the open
ing of public lands under the most
/ liberal conditions to war veterans
and approved extension Of soldier in
-