New-York tribune., 1919-07-05
Pan-American
Labor Congress
Meets Monday
Convention Here To Be Pre-.
sided Over by Compers;
League of Nations Discus
sion May Be Paramount

The annual convention Of the Pan
American Federation Of Labor will be
held at the Hotel Continental begin
ming Monday. 1t will be the second
convention of the federation, which
includes in it's membership the organ
lied labor movements of the United
States, Mexico, Central and South
America. Samuel Gompers will preside
over the deliberations.
OF primary Importance in the dis
cussions expected is one on the league
Of nations, so far as it affects labor
and the international trade union con-
ference called for Amsterdam on July
26. To attend this Mr.. Gompers and
Daniel ]. Tobin, international president
of the Transfers Union, will sail on
the Mauretania next Friday.
This conference in Amsterdam, in
the opinion of many labor men, is sec
ond only in Importance to the peace
conference in that to a great extent
its action will determine the attitude of
lahor toward the league of nations
and the international labor confer
ence for the discussion and settlement
of labor matters which is created by
the peace treaty as part of the league
or nations machinery. 1t is conceded
that considerable element in the
trade union movement of Europe is
very much dissatisfied with the labor
programme as it now stands and that
there is possibility, by no means re-
mote, that the international congress
will recommend that it's members stay
out Of the international conference.
"This," says Chester NJ. Wright, of
the American Alliance for Labor and
Democracy, and member of two of
1ycC. ~
the American Federation of Labor"
would mean that the conference, due
in Washington in October next. could
net be held"
THE congress is made up of dele.
gates chosen hy organized labor, en-
ployers and governments. Govern
ments have one-half the delegates.
employers one-fourth and labor one
fourth. II labor were to refuse to
send delegates there could be no such
thing as labor congress as the treaty
intends it.
IF the international labor congress
is broken up because of labor's re-
fasal &C participate, the machinery of
the league Of nations will sustain a
rupture that will at best be severe.
Thus the Amsterdam congress be-
comes of the utmost moment to the
world in general, as we'll as to labor
"The American Federation Of Labor.
as the result of action taken in the
Atlantic City convention, is firmly com
mitted to the support of the peace
treaty, to the labor section Of the
treaty and to the international labor
congress. American labor has main
tanned firm and consistent position
since March 12, 1917, when, before
America entered the war. it adopted
the declaration that has grown in
value and gained in fame with every
day that has passed.
European Labor Has Wabbled
"However, European labor has no.
in all cases record of such strength
of purpose. 1t has wabbled and twist
ed, going through all the convolutions
Of emotional pacifism and intellectual.
weakness.
"1Ae probability is that American
labor will go to Amsterdam to en-
counter much the same kind Of an
tered on previous visits. There are
indications that such will be the case.
American labor is going over the ocean
to fight one more battle for reason
and Tor the progress of democracy
through permanent peace.
Samuel Gompers will lead the FIGHT
this time, as he has led it before. If
he comes back successful he will have
crowned his former achievements with
q final effort that history may write
down as the greatest of all. For in
this conflict at Amsterdam the ma
chinery Of the league of nations is
going to get its first real test. Who
can say what will happen to it if the
scholastic and theoretical politicians
OF the European labor movement, with
their record of wartime equivocation
back OF them, refuse to play their part
in the building of the great league of
nations structure ?"