New-York tribune., 1920-05-29

"hdiT. w naC was lC except Stflkc
against England, tyranny and injus-
tice?
an our war the working people of
the United States. the representatives
of labor of America, met in conference
and by unanimous vote declared that
come what may, we would serve our
Republic whether in peace or in war.
and called upon all our fellow work
ingmen and all our fellow citizens to
give such loyal and devoted service
and, better than all, that declaration
was unanimously approved at the fol
lowing convention of the organized
labor movement of America, the Amer
lean Federation of Labor, and, better
still, during that entire period Amcri-
can labor kept the faith and made
good.
Industrial Autocracy
"And now. after giving that loyal
service. and our sacred dead are buried
in Flanders Fields, we come to the
United States to find the reaction
where we entered the war for the de
struction of mlitarism, and particu
larly for the destruction of autocracy;
We find industrial autocracy being
forced upon the people of the United
States.
"The right to own ourselves. to be
tree from courts direction or a
Judges direction, when we exercise
that normal and natural right to stop
work, not to commit crime, not to com
nit overt acts, but to stop work, the
right for man to own himself, to work
or not to work, is his right, and not
the right of government, nor states,
nor courts" said Mr.. Gompers in his
peroration. He concluded:
THAT is the thing for which we are
contendlng and will contend, no matter
what may come. The men and the
women of labor of America are SOW
ereign citizens with all of you, and if
1t should come to pass that you can
make labor compulsory for the work
ing people, there is no reason why they
should not turn upon all and say: Well,
If compulsory labor is right, then we
shall all be compelled to labor for
society" prolonged applause and
cheers)
Governor Allen Speaks
Mr.. Gompers sat down, after forty
five minutes of constant speaking, with
persplratlon streaming from his face.
large bouquet of flowers from his
colleagues was passed up to him.
Governor Allen began his first argu-
ment almost as soon as Mr.. Gompers
closed. He said:
81 think | agree with most of the
history which the distinguished prcsi-
dent of the American Federation Of
Labor has phrased for us tonight.
think we have all been hearing those
wonderful phrases all through the
growing industrial quarrels.
Il am here tonight not as repre-
sentative Of cap:-a: or of labor but as
a representative of us all, the general
public. to tell you what we have done
in Kansas, and so | must hark back to
the coal strike of last winter. do not
know who was the most to blame"
He declared that, even though tn .
fuel ban had been lifted by the gov
ernment, coal increased in price, and
the miners demanded 65 per cent ad-
vance IN wages and shorter hours. AS
Governor he interceded without avail.
Within two weeks schoolhouses were
closed for lack of fuel industry was
hampered and much suffering ensued
in homes and hospitals. He then, exer-
cising what he declared to be a moral
right, requested through the Supreme
Court that the mines be taken under
state supervision to keep the people
from freezing
Governor Allen said he then went
to the mining district and pleaded
with the miners to return to work. as
suring them that whatever was granted
to them in the way of benefit in negoti-
atlons then proceeding in Washington
would be made retroactive, and that in
any event the state would grant a
fax and just wage scale, likewise
retroactive.
Miners Wished to Return
81 want to say in justice to a great
number of the miners" said the Gov
ernor, that they wished to go back
to work. Frequently they said to me
in open meeting, we would like to 70
back but somehow they had lost that
boasted liberty which the distinguished
president of the American Federation
of Labor has told us about tonight.
"A man named Guffy had the temer-
ity to stay on his job and the union
suspended him from mem bership for
nlnety-nine years, and then they went
to the grocery store where the man
had bought his groceries and threat
ened the extinction Of the business Of
that grocery store if they sold to
Curry, and then they went to Guffy's
landlord and said; You can't keep
Guffy in your house any longer. The
union has suspended him from mem
bership for ninety-nine years. That
is your personal liberty!
When they did not go back to work
we called for volunteers, and after
twenty-four hours more than II 900
people of Kansas who had no interest
In the subject of the quarrel between
capital and labor but thought only Of
the dire emergency, responded to the
call and said, Let US dig coal" From
that great offering we chose enough
men to man the mines of the state. We
chose them from the lads who had been
in the service of their country.
II have seen these lads, many of
them, in France, and as ! had observed
them overcoming obstacles that seemed
insuperable I could not harmonize in
my mind the belief that coal could be
dug only in certain way, by certain
individuals, at certain hours of the
day, under certain fixed regulations.
knew better
Boys Reach Pittsburg
"And so these lads, most of them
dressed in their service uniforms.
landed one day in Pittsburc, the caDi.
tai of the mining districts, and the
miners were there to see them. In a
perfectly orderly array they came.
They came with certain things to sav
to these lads, things that are in their
literature, things that have been said
to strikebreakers before, and then
these lads unloaded, keen, kindly,
clean-faced young chaps, dressed in
their uniforms.
remember seeing a lad in whom I