New-York tribune., 1919-07-31
British and Americans Are
Beaten in Test Vote at
the Amsterdam Congress
to Bar Syndicalists
English Delegation Split
Ieutollic Enjoys Disavow
Acts During War; Say
Berlin Betrayed Th e m
NeW York Tribune
Special Cable Service

Copyright. 1919. New York Tribune lnc.)
AMSTERDAM. July 30.-With the
acceptance to-day of the German dele
cations declaration of responsibility
ternatjonal Federation of Trades
Unions passed into another stage.
There is still a sharp division be-
tween the delegates and unanimity on
any vital question seems impossible,
bu cause the continental European rep
rcsentatives arc Socialistic, while the
British are -Socialistic and the
Americans arc -Socialistic.
Emphasis on this split came to-day
when vote was taken on whether the
committees Mhich are going to do the
real work of the congress should be
composed of one representative from
each delegation from each country or
OF only one delegate from each coun-
try. The British and Americans insist
ed on division, with the result that
they found nineteen votes against
their ten. or eleven countries favoring
the admission of syndicalists to the
committees against three opposing.
The Beleians alono voted with the
Anglo o-Amcrlcans.
Majority Hard to Cut
The Americans will go through with
the Conference. but even if the French
delegates Should join the Angl To- Ameri-
can alliance there is some question
whether the opposition would not still
have clear ajority either on the
basis of numerical strength or on rep
reSentation Iii the lnternatiOnale.
Unless the Americans argue success
fully their proposal to give one vote to
every $500 members Of national
trades unions, the Germans will still
control the Internationale, for under
the German scheme of one vote for
each country and an additional one for.
every million workers the Anglo Amcri-
cans viii still be slightly in the mi
nority.
Samuel Gompers, president of the
American Federation of Labor. is on
the committee to consider the interna-
tional situation, to frame an intcrna-
tional programme and to consider the
Berne conference resolution on the
league of nations. 1t will be his job to
rlacatc the neutrals, who arc highly
dissatisfied with his work on the Paris
labor commi ssion.
Session Is Tame
John J.'Hynes, another of the Amer
leans, is member Of the committee
which is to determine the attitude of
the Internationale toward the Wash
ington conference. This committee is
to meet and report to the main con-
gress on Thursday.
Io-day's session was compare lively
tame. All the fireworks of previous
Americans and British began to realize
it was useless to continue their former
tactics in expectation of winning vot-
ing strength to their side.
The only organization which has been
refused admission to the Congress is a
group Of Dutch neutral workers, which
comprises a small body of those dis
satisfied with both the Dutch Fedora
tion Of Labor and the Dutch syndi-
calists.
Many of the neutral delegates have
invariably urged that Germany now
has a democratic government in which
some Of the cnief figures of the old
international DIRE either members or
have considerable influence They say,
however, that the Entente countries
promised in war time many democratic
reforms which remain unfulfilled.
There is not the slightest doubt that
their sympathy, whether they are
Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Swiss or
Danish, lies largely with the Germans.
AS Socialists, they turn where Social
ism is strongest.
British Delegation Not Solid
The French Belgians are really poll
ticians and only trade unionists sec
ondarly, though in the case of the
Belgians there is still a keen bitter
ness toward the Germans The Ameri-
can delegation which includes David ].
Tobin, besides Mr.. Gompers and Mr..
Hynes, is a solid unit, but this is not
true Of the British, for the member
Of the parliamentary committee on the
grade union congress, (which Stuart
Burning IS the leader, is inclined
toward combination Of political mat
ters with ordinary labor questions.
Though 50 far the British have voted
unanimously, Burning is exercising his
influence over the votes of w. A. Apple