The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1920-06-07
IS
DENOUNCED By
LABOR LEADERS
Rank and File Of Membership
Against Spread of Vicious
Doctrine.
AGAINST ONE BIG UNION
Executive Council of A. F. of L.
Issues Its Annual Report.
AGAINST ONE BIG UNION

tiOn of BOlshevism, prOfiteering, the
action of the United States govern
ment in invoking the food control
law against the late miners strike.
and the failure of the American con
gress to take action to control the
cost of living are among the outstand
ing features of the annual report OF
the executive council OF the Amer
lean Federation Of LABOR presented
today to the annual convention herr.
Any attempt to enforce compulsory
labor or making strikes unlawful, must
be resisted at all costs, Samuel Comp
ers declared today in his address at
the opening Of the federation's for,ieth
annual convention.
81 have no fear as to what the re-
suit will be-" he said. GAS long as I'm
in life and my mind is not IN .t,rnp
shall stand for the right of the man
and women toilers OF the word to ue
free, untrammeled, unknown by any
force
On the subject of bolshevism and
other extremist propaganda, the re-
port has this to say
''During the year just passed the
labor movement has stood it's ground
solidly and maintained the progress
sive, constructive policy which has
marked it apart from most of the
labor movements of the world
throughout the whole period Of the
world war.
"But the nation has witnessed
sporadic outbreaks of extremist senti-
ment and has been compelled to deal
with extremist propaganda in num-
her of cases since the war period
came to all end. This tendency to-
ward unreasoned thought has been
most unfortunate for those who have
been the participants.
BoIshevism a Lure
"Bolshevism has been lure for
some of our people and it's doctrines
have been propagated with great
vigor. The hidous doctrine has
found converts among two classes Of
people yrincipally-those intellectu
ais socal.ed, who have no occupation
save that of following one fad after
another, and those so beaten in the
game of life that they find no ap-
pea in anything except the most des-
perate and illogical schemes. The
rank and file of the organized labor
movement, as was to have been ex-
pected, has given no cOuntenance to
the propaganda of BOlshevism, but
has, on the contrary, been it's most
effective opponent in America.
THE propaganda of revolutionary
thought has not been limited to the
propag ganda CT bolshevism. 1t has
hn
union idea has had its adherents.
despite the disastrous results of the
experiment in Canada with it's treach-
erous machinery during the year pre-
ceding our 1919 convention. 1t is
gratifying to not that everywhere the
ostensible strength of this propagan-
da has been lost and that its fallacies
are daily becoming clearer to it's for
mer victims.
"Of more importance than the re-
suits of studied propaganda of revol,,
ton and eXtremism is the feeding Of
unrest among our people which is
due to abuse in our political and in
dustrial life and which seeks relief
and freedom and not revolution and
catastrophe.
"The written and spoken propagan-
da of unreason and extremism can
be met and defeated by truth. But
legitimate unrest, growing out OF con
ditions of injustice can be met and
overcome only by intelligent dealing
with conditions. Those who drink
from poisoned we'll will be poisoned
until the we'll itself is cleansed.'
With the councils review of organ.
lied labor's position and activities
for the last year, was also presented
"a specific program for remedy
Denounce Law
The Cummings railroad law was de
nounced. as was the Kansas law es
tablishing the court of industrial re.
lations. The high cost of living was
laid largely at the door of big prot
iteers" while the report declared the
United States government, principal
ly through the department of justice.
has conducted campaign of stupid
ity.'
Congress was assailed for cutting
appropriations designed to carry on
the work of the collateral branches
of the department of labor and for
various proposals, such as the sedi
ton bill, which the report says the
labor movement was instrumental in
defeating.
In it's reference to the foreign field,
the report denounces what it charac-
terized as propaganda for American
intervention in Mexico and declared
that the executive council sees mo
justification for interference which
it argues would be in the interest "of
the exploitation Of its workers and
it's boundless wealth of oil and mine
rails
The United States Steel corporation
was assailed for its refusal to deal
with labor organizations in the re-
cent unsuccessful strike, and the au-
fhnritieS of Boston also were de.