The Butte daily bulletin., 1919-06-16

given the platform to make a plea
for aid for her husband and Warren
Billings. Walker declared that Tom
Mooney was no more guilty of the
crime charged against him by Dis
trict Attorney Fickert than was any
delegate in the convention. Unani
nous consent was given Mrs. Mooney
to talk. and President Gompers in
troduced her, as he said, under in
StruCtiOnS from the convention She
told the story of the frame-up, and
begged that the convention take some
action. A resolution has been intro
duced, calling for a 24-hour strike on
the day following Labor day. An
other plan calls for a referendum on
a sympathetic strike, to be conducted
by the officers of all the internation
ais within their organizations. Anton
Johannsen disclosed today that of the
100000 votes thus far cast on the
proposed five-day strike, the affrma
tive vote has been more than so per
cent of the total.
In three days, no mention of the
telegraphers' strike has been made
on the floor. But seven hours have
been devoted to reading reports on
the so-called labor missions to Eng
land France and Italy before and
since the signing of the armistice,
and European socialism has been de-
nounced. explained away, purged of
bolshevism and otherwise variously
benefited by Gompers and his fellow
voyagers. Vice President Dun
can, John Golden, John Frey and
William Bowen have each reported
on their escape from submarines and
the flattering attentions of Euro
pean government officials. Golden
said, incidentally, that the economic
life of Italy, last year, apparently
rested and depended upon the CO.
operatives" which were even run
ming big shipyards and banks. Most
of these reports, however, were de-
voted to naive revelation of how
the American Federation of Labor
had served the purposes of Clemen
ceau, Sonnino and Lloyd George.
One well-spent hour was devoted
to the address of Glenn e. Plumb
counsel for the organized railway
workers, both within and outside the
Federation. Plumb made an eloquent
plea for the plan of public ownership
and democratic control and opera
ton which the 100000 railroad
workers have endorsed. Under this
plan the railroads would be taken
over and paid for at value to be
fixed on the basis of the actual prop
erty investment-this being some five
billion dollars less than the valuation
claimed by the companies. He would
have the government turn them over
to corporation owned by itself, the
directors being chosen from three
sources in equal number-one-third
elected by the wage workers, one
third by the professional manage
ment, and one-third appointed by the
president to represent the public in
terest in general.
When Plumb declared that the or
ganized farmers were now back OF
this plan, and mentioned the Non
partisan league as one great element
of organized farmers, Il burst of ap'
plause went over the convention
Gompers is hostile to public owner
ship, but the convention will endorse
the Plumb plan by virtually unani
nous vote.
No resolutions attacking the mea
packers food monopoly are in sight
The butcher workmen have jus
signed up for another year with Tho
packers, and they will not lead an.
fight for public ownership of stock
yards for fear the packers will i,
retaliation break the agreement.
Among the visitors is H. Boland
a Sim Fein member of parliament
who escaped to America disguised a
a stoker.